Shaan Shahid is gearing up for the release of Arth-The Destination and on a promotional roll, we caught him on BBC Global for an interview last night. He spoke about the dynamics of Pakistan’s film industry, politics between India and Pakistan and more. We have to say that we saw a very subdued and politically correct (almost) Shaan on screen and is was refreshing.
“There’s (been) a lot of tension going on between India and Pakistan since a long time,” he said when questioned about relations between the two countries and why he had chosen a story based on the original Bollywood film Arth, by Mahesh Bhatt. “I felt that it’s high time that the cultural side should take over,” he elaborated.
Shaan’s anti India rhetoric is no secret but we also know that his stance changed after adapting a Bollywood classic for his own production. Shaan has also, in the past, vehemently spoken against our artists working in India. The BBC Global host picked up on that and asked him, repeatedly, whether he would work in India now.
“I think there’s a lot to do in Pakistan first,” he attempted to dismiss the question without taking a clear side. “I think I”m needed more in Pakistan than India. In India you have great actors who are churning up good films; if I opt to go to India, who would do anything in Pakistan?”
When asked why not, since one can work both places and Pakistani actors like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan had made it big in Bollywood and most Bollywood top stars were also Muslim, Shaan responded, “Fawad Khan hasn’t done a film in Pakistan.” Then maybe he remembered Fawad’s debut with Shaan in Khuda Kay Liye and he clarified, “He’s done more films in India than in Pakistan,” implying that our actors need to work on improving their own industry before branching out.
We’ll put up a link of Shaan’s BBC Global interview as soon as it’s up.
Arth – The Destination releases on December 21 2017, and also stars Humaima Malick, Mohib Mirza and Uzma Hassan.
