Indian cinema has a long history of casting Pakistani actors and many have cemented their careers in India. However, they, unfortunately, had to return to their nation after a ban was imposed. The Indian Government prohibited Pakistani artists from working in India. ALSO READ | Fawad Khan Makes His OTT Debut With Ms Marvel; Netizens Cannot Contain Their Excitement: ‘Coolest Freedom Fighter Ever’
However, the Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur has finally dressed the ban.
Thakur spoke about the ban at Shanghai Corporation Organisation Film Festival he attended in Mumbai. Apart from that he also spoke about several topics at the fest, while commenting on the upliftment of the ban on Pakistani actors.
A BollywoodLife report suggests that SCO is a multinational film festival to which people around the world were invited including Pakistan. However, the neighbouring country refrained from participating.
He said, “See whenever there is a multinational tournament has happened we have included all those countries that are a part of the world. It's their decision to attend or avoid. We have sent the invitation to all the members of SCO. If I talk about the members it's a long list. See we have sent the invitations from our side we have opened the gates for everyone.”
Thakur was also quizzed that if the government is inviting Pakistan for the film festival, does it mean that the ban on Pakistani artists could be lifted to which the minister ducked and said, “please, for now, let us keep it to the SCO festival only,” Anurag Thakur was quoted as saying by ETimes. ALSO READ | Mahira Khan TRENDS As She Dances Her Heart Out To Govinda-Ranbir Kapoor Songs At Wedding In Pakistan; Netizen Says ‘Music Has No Boundaries’
Only time will tell if popular names like Fawad Khan, Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, Mahira Khan, and others will be allowed to work in India. Pakistani artists were banned in India after the URI attack in 2016.
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