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Pakistan on Wednesday imposed a blanket ban on Indian shows on its television networks and radio stations, a day after one of India’s top film directors vowed not to hire actors from Pakistan in response to a major Indian cinema group’s declaration that it would not screen films with Pakistani casts.
Pakistani musicians have long been a mainstay of Bollywood, whose films and songs are also hugely popular across the border in Pakistan. And Pakistani actors have recently entered Bollywood amid the growing popularity in India of Pakistani-based television serials. But those cultural ties are being cut.
The Pakistani ban on Indian shows goes into effect on Friday. The government acted on a recommendation from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, and Pakistani officials said it was in response to escalating curbs on Pakistani films and actors in India. The license of any TV network or radio station that does not comply will be suspended, the regulating authority said.
This week, a leading Indian film director, Karan Johar, released a video and said he would no longer use Pakistani actors in his films. The move was prompted by the decision of one of India’s biggest groups of cinema owners not to show films with Pakistani actors, partly targeting the planned release on Oct. 28 of a film by Mr. Johar starring a Pakistani actor.
The Indian superstar Salman Khan was denounced by a talk show host after speaking out against a ban on Pakistani actors.
The Indian superstar Salman Khan, who spoke out against the ban on Pakistani actors, was angrily denounced by one of India’s top television talk show hosts, Arnab Goswami.
Om Puri, an actor who has appeared in Bollywood, Hollywood and independent films, also found himself under attack during a televised debate when he said he opposed the ban. The situation escalated when Mr. Puri, pressed by the anchor about a slain soldier, retorted, “Who asked him to join the army?”
The Indian actor Om Puri found himself under attack in a televised debate when he said he opposed the ban on Pakistani actors.CreditCarlo Allegri/Reuters
Demonstrators burned an effigy of modi of India, in Karachi Pakistan, this month.CreditFareed Khan/Associated Press
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, a far-right political party, then raised the stakes with an ultimatum to all Pakistani performers working in India to leave within 48 hours or “risk being beaten up.” It also threatened violence against theater owners who showed films with Pakistanis in the cast.
The Indian television channel Zindagi, which since 2014 has aired Pakistani shows that have grown hugely popular, scrubbed them from its programming.
Then the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India asked exhibitors not to release any movie featuring Pakistani performers, putting in jeopardy Mr. Johar’s new film, “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,” which stars the Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan.
A week before the festival’s start, Prithvi Mhaske, a social activist, filed a complaint with the police against the screening of the film, threatening continued protests. “To sit in a theater and eat popcorn and ice cream as you watch a Pakistani movie is unfair to our soldiers,” said Mr. Mhaske, the president of Sangharsh Foundation, a Mumbai nonprofit. Three days later, the movie was removed from the festival’s lineup.
Some analysts say the furor is a sign of frustration over the Indian government’s inability to stop militant attacks, despite overtures to make peace. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack on the base and support for the militants in Kashmir.
“There is a turning of the tide about the narrative that engagement with Pakistan culturally is good in and of itself,” said Mr. Pant, the international relations professor. “Nobody in India buys that argument anymore that if you do cultural exchanges and cricket matches, it will benefit India.”
But India’s muscle flexing could have dire consequences for the region if it continues for an extended period, he said.
“We don’t know the consequences of what India has done,” he added. “This is a unique moment in Pak-indo relations in the nuclear age. These are new, interesting and scary times.”
Pakistani musicians have long been a mainstay of Bollywood, whose films and songs are also hugely popular across the border in Pakistan. And Pakistani actors have recently entered Bollywood amid the growing popularity in India of Pakistani-based television serials. But those cultural ties are being cut.
The Pakistani ban on Indian shows goes into effect on Friday. The government acted on a recommendation from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, and Pakistani officials said it was in response to escalating curbs on Pakistani films and actors in India. The license of any TV network or radio station that does not comply will be suspended, the regulating authority said.
This week, a leading Indian film director, Karan Johar, released a video and said he would no longer use Pakistani actors in his films. The move was prompted by the decision of one of India’s biggest groups of cinema owners not to show films with Pakistani actors, partly targeting the planned release on Oct. 28 of a film by Mr. Johar starring a Pakistani actor.
The Indian superstar Salman Khan was denounced by a talk show host after speaking out against a ban on Pakistani actors.
The Indian superstar Salman Khan, who spoke out against the ban on Pakistani actors, was angrily denounced by one of India’s top television talk show hosts, Arnab Goswami.
Om Puri, an actor who has appeared in Bollywood, Hollywood and independent films, also found himself under attack during a televised debate when he said he opposed the ban. The situation escalated when Mr. Puri, pressed by the anchor about a slain soldier, retorted, “Who asked him to join the army?”
The Indian actor Om Puri found himself under attack in a televised debate when he said he opposed the ban on Pakistani actors.CreditCarlo Allegri/Reuters
Demonstrators burned an effigy of modi of India, in Karachi Pakistan, this month.CreditFareed Khan/Associated Press
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, a far-right political party, then raised the stakes with an ultimatum to all Pakistani performers working in India to leave within 48 hours or “risk being beaten up.” It also threatened violence against theater owners who showed films with Pakistanis in the cast.
The Indian television channel Zindagi, which since 2014 has aired Pakistani shows that have grown hugely popular, scrubbed them from its programming.
Then the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India asked exhibitors not to release any movie featuring Pakistani performers, putting in jeopardy Mr. Johar’s new film, “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,” which stars the Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan.
A week before the festival’s start, Prithvi Mhaske, a social activist, filed a complaint with the police against the screening of the film, threatening continued protests. “To sit in a theater and eat popcorn and ice cream as you watch a Pakistani movie is unfair to our soldiers,” said Mr. Mhaske, the president of Sangharsh Foundation, a Mumbai nonprofit. Three days later, the movie was removed from the festival’s lineup.
Some analysts say the furor is a sign of frustration over the Indian government’s inability to stop militant attacks, despite overtures to make peace. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack on the base and support for the militants in Kashmir.
“There is a turning of the tide about the narrative that engagement with Pakistan culturally is good in and of itself,” said Mr. Pant, the international relations professor. “Nobody in India buys that argument anymore that if you do cultural exchanges and cricket matches, it will benefit India.”
But India’s muscle flexing could have dire consequences for the region if it continues for an extended period, he said.
“We don’t know the consequences of what India has done,” he added. “This is a unique moment in Pak-indo relations in the nuclear age. These are new, interesting and scary times.”
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