Karan Johar: Banning Pakistani artists is not a solution

Karan Johar says that his heart bleeds for the lives lost in the Uri terror attack and he understands the anger in the country but boycotting artistes from Pakistan is no solution to terrorism.

Johar’s comment comes after MNS threatened Pakistani artistes like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan to leave India, failing which the shooting of their films would be stalled and they would be ‘beaten up’ and dealt with in MNS style. Fawad Khan plays an important role in Karan’s upcoming film, ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’.

“I understand the anger and the anguish that surround us and I empathise, my heart bleeds for the lost lives. There is nothing that can justify this terrible feeling of terror. Then you are faced in a situation such as this (asking for ban on Pak artistes). If this was truly a solution, one would take it,” Karan told a news channel.

“But this is not a solution. I don’t believe it is. The larger forces have to come together and sort the situation and this cannot be banning talent or art.”

The star director said he feels “vulnerable” while speaking about it publicly. “I feel vulnerable and scared while even saying this. I completely feel the pain and anger. If my film is targeted because of this, it will make me exceptionally sad because my intent was to put out a product out of love and nothing else.”

After Karan came out publicly to extend his support to Pakistani artistes, MNS leader Amey Khopkar said, “We dare Karan. Let him take a Pakistan artist, see what we will do then.”Another senior leader Shalini Thackeray said, “We won’t allow films to release which has Pakistan actors in it. Also this Bollywood fraternity too has to understand that this is for our country and not politics. These Pakistan people are killing so many of our Indian soldiers.”

When asked how he will deal with these threats, Johar said, “I don’t know… I beseech everyone to look at it holistically and understand the situation, that there is a larger situation here and it has nothing to do with banning talent. Let’s look at it from a larger perspective and find the answer.”

The director said sometimes creative people feel so frustrated that they just want to “fold hands and say ‘Leave us alone’.” “I am not somebody who can find the answer. I am nobody in that scheme of things. I am just a filmmaker, telling a love story. Today I feel, I am a vulnerable soft target. I have faced it, felt the repercussions of it in the past and I have constantly combated that.”

“Sometimes, you just want to fold your hands and say, We are a creative industry. Please leave us alone. We make movies, we spread love. There are millions in the world, in our country who are happy with the work we do, allow us that…’ I think we should not be those soft targets anymore. We don’t matter in the scheme of things but we can make things happier and better,” he said.