Adnan Siddiqui says Pak audiences’ ‘tolerance’ higher than that of Indians: ‘We accept anything good about India, but it becomes political there’

In an interview with Indianexpressonline, Adnan talks about discovering his popularity in India when he was filming Mom, how his Bollywood ambition was cut short when the controversy erupted and why he feels Pakistani audiences have higher tolerance than Indians.

Edited excerpts:

The show is going to be released in India soon, how does that feel like?

It feels like someone is going to watch it in my neighbouring country as well! It already has that fame, where it has gone across the border. It will be a good recall for people to watch the show again. Now it is officially going to be with Zindagi, which will be different as earlier they would be watching the show on different platforms like YouTube.

A lot of people would watch Pakistani shows, before they were made available officially, on any platform that would stream them. The craze is huge.

I experienced it first hand in 2017 when I was filming Mom. I went to eat somewhere in old Delhi. Boney Kapoor (producer of Mom) told me that I should go with security because people may know me, but I thought who would know me here? So, I went to that place and the kind of fan following I received was a great shock for me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had to call Boney to get me some security, to get out of there. I have always mentioned that our TV shows are like Bollywood films, and our films are like Indian TV shows.

Why are Pakistani shows so strong in dramas, romances? What is the secret?

I can pose the same question to you– how are Indian movies so well made? Why is the romance and everything so perfect? I guess, our forte is TV, which is the biggest medium in Pakistan. We have bigger writers and actors than films. In the early 70s and 80s, our shows were known all over the world.  Our shows are watched in India and Indian movies are watched here. Indian actors are household names in Pakistan. I think my simple answer would be that we have been trained in such a way, that we are automatically bound to some classical shows.

Streaming platforms have truly blurred the boundaries. Geographically and politically, there can be tensions between India and Pakistan, but there is also this cultural exchange happening with regards to each other’s work.

The cultural impact is the same, I guess. When my father was alive, I would ask him, ‘You have lived more in Pakistan, why do you still want to be in India?’ He used to say, ‘My childhood was there, I cannot forget that. It is very nostalgic for me.’ That core emotional value is there which people relate to, that nostalgia…

Does art have the power to ease pain?

It has always done that. There is nothing called apolitical. Art has no boundaries, but artistes have a certain boundary, which shouldn’t be there. There should be healthy cultural exchange. I believe that the kind of tolerance–pardon me for being so blunt–but our tolerance, in comparison to Indian audience is much higher. We accept Indian artistes, Indian cricketers, we accept everything good about India. But when this thing goes across the border, it becomes very political. I don’t know why.

I remember when I was filming Mom, it was kept very hush-hush, because the whole Fawad Khan controversy had happened. Boney was saying that we can’t do interviews, public appearances. This shouldn’t be happening; the responsibility should be taken by both the governments and the political parties, to at least be a little lenient when there is art involved somewhere.

When you, Fawad, Mahira and other artistes couldn’t continue to work, there was a section which felt that it was a bit unfair, because let artistes continue with their art and not let politics come in between.

Thank you for saying that, but they don’t come in the majority. I was thinking to have my career over there, Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s manager was in touch with me, he was offering me some work over there and I was looking at those also, but then it didn’t happen. No regrets, really.

Though it does sound like hypocrisy– that Pakistani actors can’t work here, but their songs are heard here and also remixed for Indian films. 

That is because of some people. A majority of people still love us, we love them. But then there is also a political issue there. When it comes to that point, I want to be quiet and not want to say anything. But I keep seeing Indian series, which have done remarkably well in Pakistan as well.

Is there anything that India can learn in its depiction of Pakistan in films and shows?

Just to be more friendly, that’s about it. About acceptance… But then again, I am sure what is being made there, people are enjoying that. After all, in the end, it is a business. So, if its working for those production houses, then why not, I don’t blame them. It is upto the audience, what they accept or don’t.