KARACHI: Indian actor Vinay Pathak recently made his first trip over to Pakistan for the Pakistan International Film Festival (PiFF) which was held from the 29th of March to the 1st of April in Karachi. Pathak who has played a variety of characters for mainstream and parallel cinema is most well known for his role as Bharat Bhushan in the 2007 film Bheja Fry.
In an interview with The Express Tribune, Pathak talked about the need for platforms such as PiFF to help create interactions and discussions between India and Pakistan and to stimulate the cultural exchange between the two nations, “I think for the exchange of cinema, music and literature, festivals like this should happen more often.”
He further added, “Everything is similar here, we’re the same people. No difference, emphatically. We speak the same language, listen to the same music, eat the same food, and play the same cricket. We need to find a way to be in each other’s lives more as it’s going to enrich us. People from both sides of the border are willing. So we should find ways to do exchanges and travel.”
Vinay Pathak also talked about his time in New York where most of his friends were Pakistani,“Most of my friends were from Lahore and Karachi. And we also used to exchange VHS tapes and through them, I watched many old Pakistani films and dramas.” He also added that he had seen Sohaib Mansoor’s ‘Bol’ some time ago. “It was fantastic! I was spellbound.”
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While attending PiFF, he also viewed the new Pakistani film, ‘Cake’. “I loved it! It was so refreshing and honestly speaking, I was pleasantly shocked and surprised. It’s a film which breaks so many norms and stereotypes, not just in Pakistan but in Indian films as well, he added.
“You see such an evolved disposition of your story with the characters. You’re not judging your characters based on what they do and say. The performances and music were brilliant. And each and every actor was there; they believed in that world they created.”
Pathak also shared that his next project, ‘Toba Tek Singh’ was originally meant to be a collaborative effort by bringing together Pakistani and Indian filmmakers as part of the Zee TV’s Zeal for Unity project, “But you know how things happen in politics? Suddenly, the project was halted.”
When questioned about doing projects here in Pakistan the 49 year old actor said, “Of course, why not? I met some producers and studio people and they asked the same question. I told them, ‘Lure me with your script and I’ll be your bunny’.”
Finally, as the interview ended, this is what Pathak had to say, “Thank you, Pakistan. Thank you for being so amazing!”
