Indo-Pak Conflict: After heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistani starlet Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan have been pulled out of Bollywood song posters from several music streaming sites. The move is to emphasize the heightened barriers on cross-border entertainment collaboration. Which are a reflection of the overall geopolitical climate.
Music streaming apps such as Spotify and YouTube Music, which have made millions. Seem to have revolutionized their promo shots by excluding Pakistani actors from movie and song posters. Mahira Khan, who co-starred with Shah Rukh Khan in Raees, has been removed from album covers pertaining to the movie. Fawad Khan’s mugshots are also off promos of Kapoor & Sons, whereas certain of his association songs have been prohibited in India.
Other Pakistani celebrities, including Mawra Hocane, were also hit, having her face censored off the album cover of Sanam Teri Kasam from streaming platforms.
This is in the aftermath of India’s military strike in Sindoor, which was launched after the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. India’s revenge attack hit a number of terror institutions in Pakistan and PoK and razed militant group-linked infrastructure with success.
The Indian government subsequently hardened its approach against Pakistani-origin content. And the television shows and OTT streaming websites were cautious to retain cross-border entertainment content within line of sight. Suspension of Pakistani artists on Bollywood music song hoardings would then seem in keeping with this wider trend in media policy.
Bollywood has long been an arena for imaginative collaboration between Pakistani and Indian performers. But with political tensions taking precedence in shaping industry choices, the fate of collaborative work remains doubtful. While there had been imaginative interaction before, developments point to an increasingly tight policy on Pakistani performers in Indian media.
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With diplomatic relations going through a transformation, even more can be achieved. Perhaps reshaping the dynamics of Bollywood’s engagement with Pakistani artists and entertainment cooperation. The new landscape is such that entertainment no longer remains at arm’s length from the geopolitical fact. And thus industry decision-making serves as a reflection of national sentiment and security interests.
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