Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Sunny
Deol/Instagram
A
day
before
his
film
Jaat
released,
Sunny
Deol
made
a
comment,
probably
surprising
those
who
are
so
used
to
his
cinematic
patriotic
image,
thanks
to
his
Pakistan-bashing
hits.
Sunny
stated
that
he
is
is
okay
with
Pakistani
actors
working
in
Bollywood.
Sunny’s
statement
came
a
few
days
after
Maharashtra
Navnirman
Sena
leader
Raj
Thackeray
said
the
MNS
would
not
allow
Pakistan
movie
star
Fawad
Khan’s
romcom
Abir
Gulaal
to
release
in
India.
When
the
Hindustan
Times
newspaper
asked
Sunny
if
his
comment
was
contradictory
to
his
image,
fueled
by
blockbusters
like
the
Gadar
movies
and
Border,
Sunny
said,
‘See,
I
wouldn’t
like
to
go
on
to
the
political
side
because
that’s
where
things
start
getting
messy.
We
are
actors.
We
work
for
everyone
over
the
world.
Even
if
somebody
is
watching
or
not,
we
are
for
everyone.
So
aisi
koi
baat
nahi
hain
(nothing
like
that).
We
should
stay
global.’
A
week
ago,
Sunny’s
Gadar
co-star
Ameesha
Patel
made
a
similar
comment,
saying
she
had
no
problem
if
Pakistani
actors
worked
in
India.
Fawad
Khan
and
Vaani
Kapoor
in
Abir
Gulaal.
Fawad
Khan’s
Abir
Gulaal
co-stars
Vaani
Kapoor
and
is
slated
to
release
on
May
9.
It
has
been
directed
by
Aarti
S
Bagdi.
This
will
be
Fawad’s
comeback
to
Indian
cinema
after
films
like
Khoobsurat
(2014),
Kapoor
&
Sons
(2016)
and
Ae
Dil
Hain
Mushkil
(2016).
Post
the
2016
Uri
terror
attack,
the
Indian
Motion
Picture
Producers
Association
and
the
All
Indian
Cine
Workers
Association
imposed
a
ban
on
Pakistani
artists
from
working
in
the
Hindi
film
industry.
The
Government
of
India
has
not
implemented
any
such
ban.
In
October
2023,
the
Bombay
high
court
dismissed
a
petition
seeking
a
complete
ban
on
Indian
citizens,
companies
and
associations
from
engaging
Pakistani
artists,
including
actors,
singers,
musicians,
lyricists
and
technicians.
Justices
Sunil
B
Shukre
and
Firdosh
B
Pooniwalla,
while
dismissing
the
petition,
stated,
‘Retrograde
step
in
promoting
cultural
harmony,
unity
and
peace,
and
has
no
merit
in
it.’
