Last week, as India was seething after the Uri attack, an open letter to Pakistan, titled ‘Dear Fawad Khan. It’s time. Go back to Pakistan‘ by senior journalist and popular blogger Soumyadipta Banerjee was doing the rounds on the internet. The author wrote:
Fawad, I don’t think you can deny how much love we have showered on you over the past few years. We have given you more money in two years than what you could have possibly earned in Pakistan in 10 years.
Many felt it’s pointless and unnecessary to involve Fawad Khan as he is just an artiste doing his work and also merging the cultures of the neighbouring countries.
The letter also said:
“We have given you recognition that you would have never been able to earn sitting in Karachi. We made you act in great movies, we helped you endorse brands. And hey, we also made you a bigger star in Pakistan.”
“Finish what you are doing Fawad and then do us a favour by going back to Pakistan. You see, what you have earned here is enough to last a lifetime. Go when the time is good and don’t wait for people to boycott you. Don’t wait for movies to crash at the box office because you are there in it.”
“Let’s part as friends, Fawad. It doesn’t matter if you have failed to respond to the favours we have done to you and your colleagues from Pakistan.”
You can read the entire letter here. While a lot of people showed solidarity and agreed with the author. the intent of the letter did not go down very well with most Indian citizens. It was seemingly harsh and quite unnecessary as culture is best kept away from terrorism and the dirt that surrounds politics.
Now a Pakistani has given a befitting response to Soumyadipta’s open letter, defending Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Adnan Sami and other Pakistani artistes working in India. It makes some very important points.
Here are a few excerpts-
“I don’t know whether it’s a tragedy or a comedy that you are intent on portraying Bollywood as a resort for all unemployed Pakistan artists. Heck, you make it sound like a charity that would have put the late Abdul Sattar Edhi to shame.”
“You take the credit of making a superstar out of Fawad Khan ever so smoothly. But there’s a hitch: Fawad Khan was a superstar in Pakistan right when Humsafar aired in our country. All his subsequent serials were TRPs smashing. India didn’t make Fawad Khan a superstar, it roped him in because he was one already, and marketed the product where the demand was brewing already. Mahira Khan is another sweetheart of Pakistan.”
“Expect us to screen a Phantom in our country only if you agree to show a Waar in yours. We also know that all Pakistani channels are banned in India, despite you agreeing that Pakistani serials are way better than Indian ones. Here you might be surprised to learn that every single Pakistani channel buys Indian content and plays it on our channels, despite Indian channels also airing in most parts of the country.”
“We have even had Indian singers on our Coke Studio, which is the rage all over the sub-continent. Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Sidhart Malhotra, Amrita Arora, Arjun Kapoor and many others have been a part of our advertisement campaigns, and you know better, those things pay quite well.”
“And now, the most important point, you charge Fawad Khan for not denouncing his own country, but getting away with the charming smile of his every-time. Except that that isn’t his job. How would you feel if Hollywood starts seeking an apology from Priyanka Chopra every time an Indian is lynched for eating beef in your country? It’s not the job of artists to do what politicians are supposed to do.”
You can read the letter here.