Triggering, unnecessary, stupid: Pakistanis slam 'Fighter' trailer

The recently released trailer for the film Fighter has stirred controversy and garnered criticism for its anti-Pakistan narrative. Featuring A-list stars like Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan, and Anil Kapoor, the trailer includes bold statements about India being the "owner" of Kashmir and hints at the idea of "Indian Occupied Pakistan" if there were a full-force retaliation. 

The film's explicit stance on sensitive geopolitical issues has led to discontent among viewers, sparking discussions on social media and prompting individuals, including makeup artist Natasha Ali Lakhani, to express their concerns. In a post featuring a carousel of images, Lakhani included a picture of herself with Hrithik Roshan, alongside images depicting the struggles in Kashmir, and the trailer of the film.

"This is a picture from my last trip to India," began the makeup guru, "In better times when we went there for the premiere of my Sonya Baji’s movie, Taj Mahal. The director was Sanjay Khan and we were invited to the wedding festivities of Zayed Khan whilst there. Hrithik was such a superstar at this time but upon seeing him with his family/friends he was so down to earth and humble and I remember how sweet he was with his pregnant wife at the time."

She continued, "Whilst in India everyone from superstars to shopkeepers to our driver Krishna, every single person we met was so welcoming and sweet. No politics or hate - just warmth and a whole lot of love. Over the years, the Indian friends I’ve made have always exuded the same warmth, acceptance and love. Hence when I see trailers like this one, I really feel something must be said about not promoting hateful agenda/content on platforms as huge as the Bollywood film industry."

Lakhani furthered on, "Billions in budget and the most popular storylines of late are all about fighting Pakistani terrorists with popular actors spouting dangerous dialogue in the vein of showing patriotism. India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, wars amongst us would be apocalyptic. The occupation of Kashmir has been devastating to its people. For Hrithik to say that Pakistanis are occupying Kashmir but “maalik hum hain” (we are the owners) feeds into the horrific fight over who should occupy Kashmir when the Kashmiris deserve to be free. This is a very dangerous rhetoric about a very sensitive situation in Kashmir."

She began questioning, "Why can’t patriotic movies be made about bringing our countries together? Why not make storylines about Indian patriotism without putting down Pakistan? Why not show the friendship that so many citizens from both countries share with one another? With what we see happening in the world right now, does it make sense to speak of occupying any country? Why can’t we create feel-good stories of connection and not these biased, violent and dangerous storylines not based in fact? That hurt the sentiments of many Pakistanis who shower the Bollywood film industry with love. Cinema and art during times such as this should bring the world together not tear it apart. Triggering and unnecessary. We must do better."

Lakhani, however, is not alone in criticising the trailer. Many on X pointed out the trailer's glaring faults and flaws. "Indian propaganda machine is something else because this isn’t some obscure event from the 50s. It happened four years ago and resulted in one Indian jet shot down by Pakistan and one Indian helicopter shot down by India itself. What is the point of this movie?" questioned one X user. 

Another stated, "This is so bad even for a propaganda film. They've made a Twitter Bhakt write the dialogues." Yet another user scoffed, "Pakistan occupied Kashmir, don’t make me laugh. Bollywood has made a mockery of the devastation in Indian-occupied Kashmir."