Cross border concern: Bollywood films caught in the crossfire

Pakistani singer Mustafa Zahid and the Pakistani band Soch may have sung for Mohit Surirsquos Ek Villain but they will be conspicuous by their absence at the filmrsquos live music concert that is being held in Mumbai on WednesdayA still from Mohit Surirsquos Ek Villain Pakistani singers may have sung for the film but they will be conspicuous by their absence at the filmrsquos live music concert that is being held in Mumbai on WednesdayWhile Indian musicians Mithoon Mohammed Irfan and Arijit Singh will be performing live at the filmrsquos Mumbai launch it has emerged that Zahid and Adnan Dhool and Rabi Ahmed of Soch have not been invited to the eventNot long ago the Mumbai launch of Pakistani pop rock band Jalrsquos album was cancelled at the last minuteInterestingly Zahid a Lahorebased rock artiste has lent his voice to several Bollywood hits including songs for Aashiqui2 Murder3 and Ragini MMS2 A source says ldquoTheir performances are being kept out of the Mumbai concert as a precautionary measure The production company does not want to invite unnecessary trouble from political activists especially given the recent election resultsrdquoEarlier this year the Mekaal Hasan band was attacked by Shiv Sena workers while they were talking about their new album at Mumbairsquos Press ClubLooks like Pakistani PM Nawaz Shariffrsquos recent visit to India has not added to the film industryrsquos confidence skepticism is clearly still prevalent in the industryMustafa Zahid a Lahorebased rock artiste has lent his voice to several Bollywood hits including songs for Aashiqui2When contacted Tanuj Garg CEO Balaji Motion Pictures was reluctant to comment But after some prodding he said We have Mohit Suri Shraddha Nigam Riteish Deshmukh Sidharth Malhotra and Mithoon among others on stage Thatrsquos a lot of star power for the media and the audience We will of course miss our other friends from Pakistan but itrsquos better to be safe and invite them to other citiesrdquoAtif AslamIt may be noted here that fearing violent reactions from some political parties in Maharashtra Anil Kapoorrsquos production has still not officially announced that Fawad Khan one of the top Pakistani stars will be playing a role in their film Khubsoorat The film is said to be entirely shot in RajasthanAli ZafarFilmmaker Mahesh Bhatt who has been promoting Pakistani talent in India says ldquoWe need to ask our government to clearly spell out its position on this issue Our PM has been very brave in demonstrating that he wants India to have friendly ties with Pakistan But with elections in Maharashtra round the corner one fears that the hatePakistan rhetoric will once again find voice I hope that people from the film industry who have been elected to the Parliament now play a key role in sorting out this issuersquorsquoRahat Fateh Ali KhanIn the pastEarlier this year the Mekaal Hasan band was attacked by Shiv Sena workers while they were talking about their new album at Mumbairsquos Press ClubNot long ago the Mumbai launch of Pakistani pop rock band Jalrsquos album was cancelled at the last minute Goher Mumtaz the lead singer of the band had said at that time that the cancellation could have been done because of their nationalityZeb and HaniyaStill positivePakistani actor Imran Abbas who is shooting with Muzzaffar Ali for his film Raqs however is not worried He says ldquoI am positive about this government since they seem to be really serious about improving conditions in the country They realise that they need to strengthen their relations with neighbouring countriesrdquoShafqat Amanat Ali KhanRehmat Fazli a film distributor from Pakistan says that people are buoyant about the new regime in India ldquoI am sure this will prove to be a turning point in our cross border relationship and I foresee a lot of progress in the next five years Pakistan is an emerging market but it cannot achieve optimum level without Indiarsquos support in providing software and hardwarerdquo he saysRahat Fateh Ali Khan who has been trying to get permission to enter India since the last three years and who might not be able to attend the launch of his new album in Mumbai says ldquoI truly believe that the new Indian government will turn a new leaf in the relations between our countries I am looking forward to returning to India this October and I am not apprehensive about anything as I am coming from one home to another I have received a lot of love and admiration from Indiardquo he says Pakistani filmmaker Sevy Ali says that Bollywood filmmakers are still very apprehensive about promoting Pak artistes fearing threats by Shiv Sena and Company ldquoThey need to realise that Pakistani artistes are working here legally with the consent of the Indian government that has issued them a visardquo Ali says