The Art of Diplomacy

The April 22 attack on Pahalgam will have far-reaching consequences. While the lives of the families of the victims have changed forever, much more change is also in the offing. The hard-won peace in Jammu and Kashmir is now under threat. And to deliver a fitting response to the perpetrators of the dastardly act, a slew of measures has already been taken—cutting the staff of the Indian High Commission in Pakistan by half, expelling Pakistani diplomats, closing the Attari-Wagah, and suspending the Indus Water Treaty.

While these measures have been (rightly) making the headline, there is a cultural fallout too. One notices this in the posts of the most vehement defenders of India. Those who urge others to stop watching Pakistani series and those who excoriate Indian women who wear Pakistani salwar suits. Beyond individual posts, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), the film industry workers union in Mumbai, has put out a call to ban all collaboration and work with Pakistani artists following the attack. The federation posted a notice, “Despite the ongoing directive, we’ve been made aware of the recent collaboration with Pakistani actor Fawad Khan for the Hindi film Abir Gulaal. In light of the recent attack in Pahalgam, FWICE is once again compelled to issue a blanket boycott on all Pakistani artists, singers and technicians participating in any Indian film or entertainment projects.”  The organisation also warned of disciplinary action against anyone found working with Pakistani artists, whether in India or abroad.

Prior to the 2016 Uri attacks (and the unofficial ban on Pakistani stars) Pakistani star Fawad Khan was a much beloved and appreciated name in India.  The Filmfare issue of October 2015 even put him on the cover with the cover line cooing, “Fawad Khan: The cross border Turk who is giving our heroes sleepless nights.” But a decade can change a lot in the relationship of two countries and in the fortune of a star. Khan made his name in India with films like Kapoor & Sons (2016) and Khoobsurat (2014). He was set to make his comeback in Bollywood with ‘Abir Gulaal’, co-starring Vani Kapoor. The movie was to be released on May 9. Khan and Kapoor expressed their condolences and anguish at the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

But these messages did nothing to assuage the hurt and anger in India. Just a few hours ago it was announced that ‘Abir Gulaal’ songs will be deleted from YouTube and that the film will not be released here. Which once again shows how national sentiment often trumps artistic projects. Cultural diplomacy has long been a fraught arena. The Cold War best exemplified this, with Russia and the US using the arts as both tools of propaganda and diplomacy. Given the pitch of the national sentiment today Pakistani actors and musicians and artists will simply be reduced to citizens of their country. Ideally, the arts should be seen as a human pursuit that overrides national boundaries and prejudices. But that is, perhaps, too foolhardy and naïve a notion. The arts are very much determined by political winds and geopolitical situations. Most viewers and policy makers see Khan as a Pakistani first, and then as an actor. And as long as national identity supersedes all else, Khan will not return to our screens.

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