Not Fawad! Only Indians will suffer if the release of Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is hampered, writes Akshaye Rathi

I distinctly remember the aftermath of the dastardly Mumbai attacks on 26/11 in the context of Indian cinema. Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was slated to release just a couple of weeks later and Aditya Chopra decided to pull the plug on its release in Pakistan, as a subtle mark of protest against our neighbours. Not only did this move deprive the Pakistani film fraternity and establishment of legitimate earnings through the film, but it also earned Yash Raj Films a lot of respect in the eyes of millions of Indians! It’s good to maintain relationships with our counterparts from across the border, but its way more important to respect the sentiments of people from our side of the Radcliffe line!
If Karan Johar had taken a leaf out of his friend Adi’s book, he would have turned the whole situation in his favour. The director, who is now being targeted by some local parties, would instead have been celebrated by them, the public and the (social) media.
While the diplomatic and military establishments of India and Pakistan are busy playing a round of tug-of-war in the global political arena (and India is clearly dominating there — yippie!), another bout is underway within our country and between our countrymen. Some political outfits have threatened to disallow the release of films featuring Pakistani actors & the producers/studios backing those films would certainly be concerned about the situation.
The hypothesis about artistes being above politics and issues relating to the tension between the subcontinental neighbours is interesting and idealistic, but there are a lot of complexities involved here. Post the attacks on our jawans at Uri, the mood of the nation is rather volatile in the context of Pakistan (rightfully so) and this, becomes a great opportunity for political outfits to score brownie points with the masses by tapping into the nationalistic fervour of our countrymen. Add to that the involvement of much celebrated names such as Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Sidharth Malhotra etc, who have voiced their opinion on the issue and you have a goldmine of opportunities laid out for political outfits to reap.
Even though I agree with the idea of keeping away from Pakistani talent (for films that are still to go under production) till the situation between India and Pakistan becomes better, I wonder how targeting films that have already been produced would help in isolating Pakistan and Pakistani talent in any way! Let’s take the case of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Political outfits that have called for a ban against the Diwali release have an issue with the presence of Fawad Khan in its cast. Logically speaking, blocking the release of the Ranbir Kapoor-Anushka Sharma-Aishwarya Rai starrer at this point of time will have zilch effect on Fawad Khan! The man has taken his fees for acting in the film and is happily back at home in Lahore now. The ones who would actually bear the maximum impact of a ban or a troublesome release are —
1) An Indian company called Dharma Productions, headed by a much celebrated Indian film-maker called Karan Johar, who has successfully taken Indian cinema to various parts of the globe.
2) An India-based studio called Foxstar, that has invested Indian currency worth crores to make this film.
3) An Indian star called Ranbir Kapoor, whose family has served the Indian film industry for four generations.
4) A global icon from India called Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who has made Indians across the world proud with her achievements.
5) Film exhibitors across India, who contribute to the coffers of Indian state governments by paying entertainment tax.
The five entities mentioned above are regular and significant payers of service tax, income tax and entertainment tax, which are used by the central and state governments for the development of Indian infrastructure, boosting the Indian economy, to benefit Indian citizens and also, for the welfare of Indian soldiers who guard our borders against the terrorists who infiltrate from Pakistan!
On that note, I’d like to ask the readers of this article — Who is being anti-natinal here? The people who have made Ae Dil Hai Mushkil or the ones who threaten to defy the Indian CBFC’s verdict and hamper the release of a film that is poised to plough a lot of money into the Indian film industry?
I truly hope that all of us Indians can work as a unit without harming each other at a time when our armed forces and diplomatic infrastructure are busy fighting threats from across the border.

Akshaye Rathi is a film exhibitor, columnist & entrepreneur. He tweets from @akshayerathi