Pakistan’s relations with India have deteriorated significantly in recent years. Nonetheless, artists from both countries, except a few, refuse to submit to political pressure or stoop to hatred.
There is no disputing that certain filmmakers can’t seem to avoid presenting Pakistanis as villains, even more so now that Tiger 3 is set to feature Emraan Hashmi as a Pakistani agent. This is also reminiscent of the days when films such as Gadar, LOC, and Sarfarosh popularised slandering Pakistan.
Despite this, and even though most Bollywood celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon, actor Akshay Kumar declined to criticize Pakistan in his film Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo.
Kumar has a slew of films under his belt. The actor has filmed almost nine projects during the pandemic alone. Akshay has starred in everything from comedy to action. Several of his films are also quite patriotic. However, the actor has made a point of never speaking negatively against Pakistan in his works.
Similarly, in Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo, Kumar was once requested to conduct a discussion against Pakistan. The actor, on the other hand, refused. According to the Hindustan Times, he vowed to resign if the lines were not deleted from the screenplay.
That is correct! Kumar is well-known for his love of patriotic films. Regardless, he avoids anything that could be construed as an insult to any community’s views. Refusing to express anti-Pakistani sentiments exemplified his character as a man of convictions.
While filming this film in 2007, Kumar did not hesitate to call a spade a spade. Additionally, he was dissatisfied with the character assigned to him, given that the film also starred Amitabh Bachchan and Bobby Deol. Regardless of his replaceability, he refused to speak ill of Pakistan.
However, Kumar is hardly the only Bollywood star who has refrained from speaking out against Pakistan. John Abraham made a similar demand during the filming of Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. He was expected to speak indirectly against Pakistan’s cricket team, but he declined. Rather than that, he requested that the lines be replaced with something less “aggressive.”
When it comes to Bollywood and Hollywood films, Muslims are frequently portrayed as terrorists. Additionally, they associate these terrorists with a single country: Pakistan. That is merely a generalization. You’ll be astounded to learn what else they believe about Pakistan and the Muslim world. There is a significant distinction between Lollywood and Bollywood that you should be aware of!