I want to bring Pakistan out of all the negativity, Shaan says

Shaan opens up about being criticised by peers for being anti-India

Superstar Shaan Shahid, who has often been criticised for harbouring anti-India sentiments, has opened up on his take of being pro-Pakistan.

"I want to bring Pakistan out of all the negativity that is building around it," the Waar actor told the BBC in a recent interview.  He further shared how his prime tool to reflect the positive side of the country was his camera.

"My tool is not business or arms, my tool is camera. So, I don’t want to give up my camera to bring Pakistan up," Shaan said.

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As many of his fellow actors crossed the border in pursuit of greater success, Shaan chose to stay back and help revive the local film industry. "As a filmmaker, it was important for me to take Pakistan's flag and bring it to the highest peak and not give up," he said.

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"There were some highs and lows in my career. There were times when I was criticised a lot for not opting for Indian films. But I took that with a pinch of salt," the superstar said.

"There were people in Pakistan who were not supporting the way I was thinking. So, I always told them that I am not anti-India but I am pro-Pakistan and that’s one thing they should respect," he said.

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"If you don’t want to follow me, don’t. But let me do what I want to do. But everybody had a problem with that and there was a rift at a local award show too. They need to know that they're not old and mature enough to understand how India and Pakistan have been working for the past 30-40 years," Shaan said.

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"You have to be very careful. You have to understand the dimensions that come along with it," he said. "I went through that, but I still did not go to India, I didn’t opt to work for Indian films not for any other reason but just because I think Pakistan needs to concentrate more on its own films," he said.

I am not anti-India, I am pro-Pakistan: Shaan

"Being Pakistani, people just judge you. You’re anti-this or that when you present you’re ideas but I have nothing against anyone," he added.

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Shaan further said that it was his binding on him to take Pakistani cinema global as he was a part of the industry.  On the work front, Shaan has been shooting for his upcoming films Arth 2 and Zarrar in London.