Daily Times

Earlier, Union Minister of India Babul Supriyo suggested removing Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice from ‘Welcome to New York’ and having it replaced by someone else. He also wondered why Atif Aslam lent vocals to the song ‘Dil Diyan Gallan’ in Tiger Zinda Hai and why it wasn’t Arjit Singh instead.

And now, the Union Minister has called for an immediate and temporary ban on Pakistani artists working in Indian cinema.

When asked why the issue was not raised when singer Atif Aslam crooned a number for Tiger Zinda Hai, Supriyo stated in a press conference, “Dil Diyan Gallan is a nice song. There is another nice song sung by Atif in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. My morals as an artist or sensibilities agrees that artists have no boundary.”

He further continued, “I definitely want to believe that but having said that our soldiers are being killed. At a time when we have cornered Pakistan, if we can stop Pakistani players playing in the IPL, maybe it would have been nice if Bollywood showed solidarity and took a stand.”

Noting that the entire fiasco of banning Pakistani artists began with film-maker Karan Johar’s 2016 film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil‘, he said, “(At that time) I had said that if a film worth INR1 billion is made and a lot of money has been put in by our producers that time, an Indian producer will suffer and not the Pakistani actor.”

Time says that we might want to exercise some restraint when it comes to using Pakistani artists in our films, he proclaimed, adding that taking a stand is important and it is now for the people of Bollywood to decide.

But will it be a permanent stand?

“I can’t say if it will be a permanent or a temporary stand. It depends on people. I can’t say. I don’t know what the time limit or frame is,” Supriyo said in reply.