Singer Ghulam Ali’s event that was scheduled to be held in Mumbai on Jan 29 had been cancelled, ANI reports. Ali was to visit the city this week to attend an event and his hosts had demanded adequate security for him from the Maharashtra government. The singer was scheduled to arrive on Thursday to attend the music launch of Ghar Wapsi, a movie directed by Suhaib Ilaisi in which he had acted and sung a song. Media reports claim that Shiva Sena had forced the cancellation of the event.
Member of Censor Board Ashoke Pandit tweeted,
Ilyasi had told PTI on Tuesday: “On January 29, we are releasing the music of our film. We want him to have a secure and peaceful stay while he is Mumbai. We have requested the Mumbai Police and the State Government to provide protection for the same, so that no untoward incident happens.”
Ilaisi also said, "In October last year, his concerts (in Mumbai and Pune) were cancelled due to a threat by Shiv Sena. The reason they gave was the tension prevailing between India and Pakistan," he added. "I am yet to get a confirmation... But I am hopeful I will get it in a day or two. We will proceed only if we have the confirmation, until then everything is on standby."
In October 2015, the Shiv Sena had forced the cancellation of Pakistani’s artist Ghulam Ali’s concert. This had evoked a strong reaction from Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis who had said: “We will not hesitate to put behind bars and prosecute anybody, even somebody from our party or our friends (referring to Shiv Sena) who breaks the law."
"When Ghulam Ali ji was to perform in Mumbai, we had announced full security for him. But before we could formally communicate with them, they decided to back out," Fadnavis had said. Speaking at the India Today conclave, Fadnavis had promised fool-proof security for him. "Last time the event did not happen because the organisers backed out. But if Ghulam Ali ji wants to perform again in Mumbai or Maharashtra, we will ensure full-proof security for him," he had said.
Ilyasi said his upcoming film will be about the issue of "intolerance" in the country. Asked if he is anticipating any controversy regarding the film and its title, the director said, "I am not... the word 'ghar wapsi' has become the hot topic today. Through the film, we want to send an important message to political persons. The film is about intolerance."
Ali has sung a song in Ghar Wapsi and will be playing himself in the film. "It was a wonderful experience working with him. Initially, he was a little uneasy with all the retakes and cuts. He is not used to being interrupted... But he picked up gradually," Ilyasi said.
Earlier, Ghulam Ali had performed in Kozhikode and Kerala.
