No Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for TP Aggarwal's next film

Looks like the ongoing protests seeking ban on Pakistani artistes in India following the Uri attacks is only gathering more steam. Mirror has learnt that filmmaker TP Aggarwal is gearing up to replace Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s romantic track “Maine socha na tha” for his film, Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laaddoo Deewana, with a version sung by an Indian singer. The makers are now looking for another singer even as they gear up to inform Rahat about their decision.

“We didn’t want to do this because it’s a lovely song. Rahat is a great singer and he has sung it beautifully. However, my bone of contention is that neither he nor any of the other Pakistani artistes in India have condemned the attack. After the Peshawar attacks, we had started one of our meetings at the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPAA) with a tribute to the victims and survivors,” Aggarwal informed Mirror. The film features Vivaan Shah, Akshara Haasan, Gurmeet Choudhary and Kavitta Varma in pivotal roles. It revolves around a royal marriage and characters who are hilariously trapped in their own tragedies. The song was picturised on Vivaan and Akshara in Kashmir this March.

Aggarwal believes he’d be better off promoting Indian talent instead of the ones from Pakistan while his director, Manish Harishankar, echoes his views. “They (Pak artistes) make good money here and also enjoy a lot of fame. I know they speak well of us but in a situation like this, it’s sad that they haven’t come out in support,” asserts Manish.