I commend Pakistani actors for extending a hand of friendship to India: Mikaal Zulfiqar

Actor lauds local artists for their maturity despite being 'misused' across the border

On a recent appearance on BBC Asian Network, Sherdil star Mikaal Zulfiqar expressed disappointment over Bollywood’s response to the recent Pulwama attack. Talking to Haroon Rashid, the actor pointed out the responsibilities that come with fame. “An actor needs to be neutral. He needs to be a peacemaker if anything.”

B-town stars including the likes of star couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut previously tweeted in support of the Indian army and were called out for standing in favour of war. However, a number of local celebrities reacted with restraint and propagated peace.

Pakistani star #MikaalZulfiqar says "an actor needs to be neutral" and "a peacemaker" in relation to recent tensions between India and Pakistan. He tells @iharoonrashid that he was disappointed by some of Bollywood's reactions. pic.twitter.com/xu4qpQkUVs

— BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) April 30, 2019

"I'd like to commend Pakistani actors that despite facing propaganda, bans and being misused to some extent in India, they have always extended a hand of friendship and tried to bridge the gap."

Referring to an old video of Akshay Kumar's that resurfaced during the time, Mikaal added, "I'd like to actually credit Akshay Kumar, whom I've worked with, who's a brilliant actor and who actually really cooled down the situation. I don't know if it (his video) was related to this incident but it was relevant and what he had to say was what I would have hoped to have heard from the Indian side."

Sherdil fared well at the box office because it released at the time of the attack. Admitting the film-makers used it to their advantage, Mikaal continued, “It kind of worked in our favour obviously because sentiment for the air force was high. The air force defended the nation so there was immense pride; people wanted to see jets in the air." However, he went on to clarify that the clash was purely coincidental. “This is something we planned over a year ago. Even to the extent that the last scene was also filmed a year ago. A lot of people came up and said, 'Oh you must've just done that' but we kind of milked the situation quite a lot."

Mikaal confessed that he has never worked so tirelessly on a project, calling it one of his most challenging roles to date. "I don't think I've ever worked harder on a project. It was a challenging role and I did use my decade plus of experience and put everything into it. So yes, I had very high expectations for the film. And, I knew there was a lot in the film that hadn't been shown in Pakistan like the visual effects,” he concluded.

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