Political fallout has not influenced our relationships: Fawad Khan on returning to Bollywood

Fawad Khan, a Pakistani star, made his Bollywood debut opposite Sonam Kapoor in Khoobsurat in 2014, followed by memorable appearances in Kapoor & Sons and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. However, following the 2016 Uri attacks, relationships soured between both nations and Pakistani artistes were 'banned' from working in India by the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA). 

In a recent interview with Variety, Fawad spoke about his truncated Bollywood career and chances of returning to Indian films. "The collaboration with the people that I got to know and the kinds of people I was exposed to there was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. The political fallout [between India and Pakistan] has not influenced our relationships, but it’s definitely made us very wary of answering such a question,” Fawad was quoted as saying by Variety. “It’s a good question but I can’t give a definitive answer until things stabilize and there are a lot of issues that need to be answered.”

Mentioning that he likes to avoid confrontations and has a dislike towards controversies, Fawad said, “I think it’s more of a question whether someone else would like to work with me, instead of me working with others, because fingers will be pointed at them. I’ll do my work and go away but then the people who’ll have to suffer are those who are who want to collaborate with me. And I care about that because they are going to live there, and they’re going to suffer the consequences.”

“Similarly, if I were to work [in India] and come back [to Pakistan], I’d have to suffer the consequences of what the people or the government or whatever bodies that are involved think about it,” Fawad said.

 “But otherwise, I have a great relationship with the people that I’ve worked with and made great friends. I would love to see them again someday, and maybe work with them again. Whether it be for an international platform, a Pakistani platform, or for an Indian platform. Mainstream Bollywood is a different ballgame altogether.”

Fawad recently appeared in Disney+ Ms. Marvel. He stars in the upcoming big-budget Pakistani action film The Legend of Maula Jatt.