Rishi Kapoor calls the sudden ban on Pakistani artists ‘unfair’

Known to call a spade a spade, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has pulled up authorities for confusing filmmakers on the issue of casting Pakistani actors post the terror attack on the Uri cantonment in Jammu and Kashmir last September.

In a candid interview to IANS on the sidelines of the just-concluded Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet, Bollywood’s “Chintoo Uncle” said it was unfair to suddenly ban artists from Pakistan and there should be a cut-off date on such diktats for film productions to fall in line.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) had banned Pakistani actors, singers and technicians from working on Indian films in the wake of Uri attacks and the volatile situation in Kashmir.

“Films are not planned in one or three days. It takes time. You can’t say that you’re going to ban a picture,” fumed Kapoor, who acted with Pakistan star Fawad Khan in his last hit “Kapoor & Sons”.

“You’ve been working for the last six months. These are unfair rulings and bullying tactics. You must give a cut-off period. It gives us time to finish our films and henceforth we will not take them.

“Sometimes some skirmish happens in the border and your whole thinking goes wrong. Sometimes you shake hands and say go ahead. You’re confusing your country, people.

“Either you shake hands or don’t shake hands. Why does Modi have to go to Pakistan and shake hands when you know skirmishes will happen,” Kapoor said picking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to Pakistan in December 2015 to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistan actress Mahira Khan fell victim to the IMPPA ruling when she could not promote her debut Bollywood flick “Raees” with Shah Rukh Khan here.

Kapoor recently received a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Kapoor & Sons”, a story of a dysfunctional family where the 64-year old actor plays the grandfather.