Release of his blockbuster Pakistani film The Legend of Maula Jatt in India would be a “great way to handshake” if it were to happen, kind of like the sweets sent to one another in good times and on Eid and Diwali, says actor Fawad Khan.
Fawad’s comments come days after the film was pulled from its planned December 30 release in India.
Directed by Bilal Lashari and also starring Mahira Khan, The Legend of Maula Jatt is inspired by the 1979 cult classic Maula Jatt. The film, which released in Pakistan on October 13, is the highest-grossing Pakistani film of all time with box office returns of USD 10 million.
Fawad was asked about his views on the film’s release in India in an interview with CNN. “That would be great, obviously. If it were to happen, it's a great way to give a handshake. It is kind of like those sweets and delights we send across to one another in good times and on Eid and Diwali,” the 41-year-old actor said during the interview, a video of which he shared on his official Instagram page.
He also said that he preferred to wait and watch as “things are a bit heated still” between India and Pakistan.
“Films and music is that kind of an exchange, which would be great for the diplomacy between the two countries. But things are a bit heated still, so let's see. I've heard it may release but also that it may not. So let us see,” the actor said.
An INOX official said last week that the film’s release in India had been postponed. “We have been informed by the distributors that the release of the film has been postponed. We were told this two to three days ago. No further date has been shared with us.”
An industry insider said the film’s release was stalled due to resistance from certain sections of the society. “Zee Studios had acquired the rights of The Legend of Maula Jatt as they were expecting the film to do well. But due to resistance from certain sections, the decision was made to not release the movie.”
Multiplex chain PVR Cinemas had shared the India release date of the film on its official Instagram page earlier this week but deleted it soon after.
Mahira and Fawad are familiar to Indian audiences through their popular Pakistani drama Humsafar and also through Bollywood. Fawad, who was most recently seen in the superhero series Ms Marvel, has featured in Khoobsurat, Kapoor & Sons, and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, while Mahira appeared in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees.
The last Pakistani film to get a theatrical release in India was Bol, starring Mahira, in 2011. Before that, Ramchand Pakistani, starring Nandita Das and Rashid Farooqi, released in 2008.
Pakistani actors stopped being cast in Indian productions following the 2016 terror attack in Uri in which 19 Indian Army personnel were killed.
The decision came amid demands by various political outfits to ban Pakistani artistes from Indian films and from performing here.
