I am completely against banning Pakistani actors in India: Dibakar Banerjee

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee says he is not in favour of banning Pakistani actors from working in India. Owing to its casting of Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, filmmaker Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has been at the receiving end of MNS' ire.The party has said it won't allow the release of the film, which is set to arrive in theatres on October 28.

When asked if politics is getting mixed up with cinema, Dibakar said, "It is nothing new. It has always been happening. But I am completely against banning Pakistani actors in India." The Khosla Ka Ghosla director said it totally depends on the director who is facing the backlash, on how he reacts to the situation.

He was speaking at 'Half Ticket Young Adult Script Writing Workshop' at the ongoing 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival with Star. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has extended the Centre's support to makers of the movie and assured security to exhibitors amid threats by MNS.

Karan Johar's multi-starrer film has been at the centre of a controversy since the Uri terror attack last month. In the aftermath of the terror strike, various sectors demanded a ban on Pakistani artistes from the film industry.

Last week, Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India announced it would not release movies featuring Pakistani artistes in four states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka. Director-actor Pooja Bhatt also criticised the demand to stall the movie's release, saying it has nothing to do with nationalism. "It is neither nationalism nor blackmail. It is schoolyard bullying at its best & worst," Pooja tweeted.