Mahesh Bhatt ropes in a Pakistani singer for his play!

Mahesh Bhatt is always the kind of person who is specific, constantly questioning and above all, a rebel in the most unapologetic manner there is. Ever since the unofficial ban has been imposed on Pakistani artists post the Uri attacks last September, situations have been tense as Pakistan is undeniably a land of talented individuals.

In an attempt to mend the ruptured cross-border relations, Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has roped in Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat to sing for his play Milne Do. The play is going to be performed in Mumbai as well as Delhi. Initially, Pakistani Singer/Actor Ali Zafar was also approached for the play.

On the topic, the ever controversial Mahesh Bhatt says, “The Indian government never outlawed Pakistani nationals, so there is no official ban on them. After the Uri attack, the relationship between the two countries took an extreme turn. As storytellers, we should bring people together and create empathy, and that is what we are trying to do with this play. Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, who recently won an Oscar, said a very important and brave thing -`Dividing the world into the `us’ and `our enemies’ creates fear, a deceitful justification for aggression and war’.”

This did not go down well with BJP Spokesperson Shaina NC “Peace initiatives are a good idea, but when cross-border terrorism continues to exist, we can’t have Pakistan exporting terror and India importing their talent. There can’t be selective isolation – cultural ties can’t be viewed in isolation while ignoring the rest.”

We just hope the matter gets resolved and the two nations can enjoy art, cinema, music and stop cross-border terrorism!