Pak actor ousted from B-Town project

Pakistani-British actor Mikaal Zulfikaar's dreams of making it in Bollywood have been shattered. At least for now.

The unofficial ban on Pakistani entertainers in Maharashtra has destroyed the young actor's dreams.

Replaced!

Mikaal, who made his debut as Naseeruddin Shah's nephew in Jagmohan Mundra's Shoot On Sight was supposed to arrive in Mumbai this month to begin shooting for Mundra's Roommates in February. After the diktat against Pakistaniu00a0 performers, the producers have quietly decided to replace Mikaal.

Better this way

"You can't blame them," defends the outraged director Jagmohan Mundra. "My producers Evolution Films from Chennai, are new to Hindi cinema. They can't afford to antagonise a section of Mumbai for the sake of the cast. Better that we replace Mikaal, although his mother is a British and he holds au00a0 British passport. But it's not ours tou00a0 question why."

A different terrorism

Speaking candidly on the ban on Pakistani actors Mundra says, "This is a kind of terrorism beyond the recognised forms of terrorism. How can artistes be segregated according to their religion and nationality? Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or Farida Khannum and Ghulam Ali don't belong only to Pakistan. They belong to all of us. I was deeply disturbed to know that books by Pakistani authors have been taken off the shelves of Mumbai's bookstores. Creative arts should be kept above politics."