Indian politician Raj Thackeray’s nationalist party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has responded to Mahira Khan’s interview with Film Companion where the Humsafar star expressed her desire to work in Indian projects.
Recently, in an interview with Anupama Chopra, the 36-year-old Pakistani actress got candid about her reluctance to work across the border and her experience of working with Indian collaborators.
In response, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena issued a threatening statement that Pakistani artists won’t be allowed to work in India, reported Times of India. Ameya Khoplar, president of the MNS cinema wing, said in a statement, “We will not allow Mahira or any other Pakistani artist to work here, be it Maharashtra or any other part of the country.”
The BinRoye star said in the interview, “A lot of series were offered to me and at that time. I don’t know if anybody will understand when I say this, but I was scared. I was genuinely just scared. It wasn’t about what people say, I was just like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go there’. And there was some amazing content, and I didn’t want to miss out on it.”
Earlier, Mahira said that escalating tensions were solely political and should not affect art or the artists.
Mahira’s stellar performance in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees was received well and loved widely, but unfortunately the ban on Pakistani stars forced her to work on other projects.