Daily Times

Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone-starrer Fighter is set against the backdrop of Indian Air Force’s air strike on Pakistan after a terror attack.

Fighter’s trailer dropped recently, following which Hania Aamir, Adnan Siddiqui and many other Pakistani actors criticised the Siddharth Anand directorial. Now, the director has seemingly reacted to the criticism of Fighter by celebs across the border.

Siddharth Anand responded with “Oh!!” to another person, who had tweeted, “Was ‘art’ breathing here?” The original tweet was about the 2018 Pakistani film Parwaaz Hai Junoon. It read, “Parwaaz Hai Junoon was an anti-Indian Air Force movie and Hania Aamir starred in it.” Agreeing with it, an X user also said, “Yes, they portrayed Indian Air Force as villain…”

“So sad and unfortunate to know that there are artists out there in this day and age who are aware of the power that the cinema holds and still go ahead and feed the riff between the two countries. I feel sorry for the artists who try to bridge the gap by trusting their art as a medium. Distasteful; let art breathe,” Hania Aamir wrote on Instagram Stories soon after Fighter trailer was release on January 15.

Without mentioning the name of the movie, Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui said that it was ‘disheartening’ to see Bollywood portray Pakistanis as villains. He had tweeted recently, “Once celebrated for love, Bollywood now crafts hate-filled narratives, portraying us as villains. Despite our love for your films, it’s disheartening. Art transcends boundaries; let’s use it to promote love and peace. Two nations, victims of politics, deserve better.”

Reacting to Fighter’s trailer, Pakistani actor Zara Noor Abbas said on Instagram Stories, “Aren’t you guys tired of selling the same false crap?! Grow up, guys! The world is moving on and getting mature but why do you want to sell this cheap story of hatred? Could have also promoted peace. Don’t we have enough hatred in the world that you had to boost more hate through this global medium of movies?”

Apart from Deepika and Hrithik, Fighter also stars Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, Ashutosh Rana, and Sanjeeda Sheikh, among others. The film has been directed by Siddharth Anand of War and Pathaan fame. Fighter is all set to be released in theatres on January 25, 2024.