Actor Fawad Khan, who successfully broke into the Hindi film industry after starring in several successful Pakistani television dramas, was asked if Bollywood stars were threatened by his rapid rise to the top. Fawad debuted in India with the fairytale drama Khoobsurat, starring Sonam Kapoor, and then delivered an acclaimed performance in the family drama Kapoor & Sons.
In an appearance on Ahmad Ali Butt’s YouTube channel, the actor was asked point-blank if his presence in the Hindi film industry was seen as a threat, and Fawad said that he’d often get into arguments with his public relations representatives about how ‘visible’ he needs to be. “You’ve made a lot of friends in India, but it came to the point where you were being compared to the big names. Did it p**s off a lot of the big dogs? Ali Zafar, Mahira Khan and you were being offered lead roles in one of the biggest industries in the world. Do you think it happened too soon for you in order to become a threat?” the host asked.
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Fawad said with a laugh, “How do I know, man?” Heaving a sigh, he continued, “That’s such a heavy question. I got a lot of love from India, but look, every industry has its politics. In Pakistan as well. But it’s easier to combat in your own industry. I’m not saying it’s unheard of, I’m sure it happens everywhere. There was one thing, I had PRs, and they used to get angry at this… I was like, ‘I need you to take out my name, not put it in there’. I would ask my PR to remove me from places, not put me. My manager would say, ‘You don’t know how the world works’.”
Fawad said that his manager told him that being on social media is ‘the norm’, but the actor was vehement about not exposing himself to the public too much. “Woh kehte hain jo dikhta hai woh bikta hai, mujhe lagta hai jo kam dikhta hai woh zyada bikta hai (They say all publicity is good publicity, but I feel no publicity is the best publicity).” Fawad said that in his opinion, a constant presence on social media ‘dilutes the power of a movie star’.
Fawad and numerous other Pakistani artistes ceased working in India after the 2016 Uri attacks. The Bombay High Court lifted a ban on Pakistani artistes in India last year, and already, a change is being observed. British-Pakistani actor Alyy Khan appeared in prominent roles in the Disney+ Hotstar series The Trial, and then in The Archies.
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