Work-bound

Rules and regulations of any country, whatever they may be, should be respected. If there is a particular procedure that has been put together as a format to operate, it should always be respected and followed, so there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Every country has got its own procedures and those procedures must be adhered to and respected. For instance, when you are travelling to some countries, it is mandatory that you take medical precautions before the trip.
You can’t compare the rules of any country with the other. You just have to follow them. I don’t see any harm if an Indian law states that a foreign artiste has to register before seeking employment. No country allows you to work on a tourist visa. I’ve lived here for 15 years, and am a tax-payer, so in that sense, I treat and conduct myself as an Indian. I’ve also applied for my citizenship in this country.
As far as I know, Kill Dil was always supposed to release on November 14. I wasn’t aware that there was a call for a ban on the film because it had a Pakistani actor in its cast. As for the rumours about Pakistan banning Indian actors from working in their film industry is absolutely false. The truth is that the industry is unable to afford the fees of an A-list Bollywood actor. Which Pakistani film-maker would not want to sign Salman or Shah Rukh Khan in their film? The budget for picturising a song in a Bollywood film is far more than the budget of an entire Pakistani film. Unless it’s an Indo-Pak collaboration, it is impossible for Indian actors to star in a Pakistani film. The closest that we can get is to screen Indian films in Pakistan. But having said that, there are some instances like Naseeruddin Shah who has acted in Khuda Ke Liye which was a Pakistani film. Ideally, art should ideally be kept away from politics. People of both the countries hold each other in high esteem and love each other. Shah Rukh and Salman Khan are equally loved in Pakistan as they are in India. We share a rich cultural heritage between the two countries. Besides, we should not forget that both India and Pakistan just shared the Nobel Prize for peace. The fact that such a prestigious prize like the Nobel Peace Prize is being shared by the two countries is a great period in history. As a human being and as an artiste, I strongly advocate peace and harmony for the sake of the peace of all the innocent people in the region. I hope, one day, a person from Amritsar can go to Lahore and have some kebabs, or somebody from Lahore comes to Amritsar to have some kulfi, just like people cross the US-Canada border.

As told to Kanika Rajani