Well-known makeup artist Natasha Ali Lakhani recently shared her thoughts on social media about Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s ‘Fighter’.
The makeup artist, who also happens to be the granddaughter of the late singer Noor Jehan, weighed in on the much too repetitive narrative for Bollywood’s latest movie and its emphasis on putting Pakistan down.
While sharing an old picture with Roshan, Natasha wrote that when she visited India for the premiere of the movie of her sister Sonya’s ‘Taj Mahal’, they were invited to Zayed Khan’s wedding Hrithik despite being a superstar was so humble with them.
“I remember how sweet he was with his pregnant wife at the time. Whilst in India everyone from superstars to shopkeepers to our driver Krishna..every single person we met was so welcoming and sweet,” she wrote.
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According to her, no politics or hate just warmth and a whole lot of love. She said that over the years the Indian friends she has made have always exuded the same warmth, acceptance amd love. “Hence when I see trailers like this one I really feel something must be said about not promoting hateful agenda/content on platforms as huge as the Bollywood film industry,” she said by adding, “Billions in budget and the most popular storylines of late are all about fighting Pakistani terrorists with popular actors spouting dangerous dialogue in the vein of showing patriotism. India & Pakistan are nuclear powers, wars amongst us would be apocalyptic. The occupation of Kashmir has been devastating to its people.”
She claimed, “For Hrithik to say that Pakistanis are occupying Kashmir but “Maalik Hum Hain” feeds into the horrific fight over who should occupy Kashmir when the Kashmiris deserve to be free. This is a very dangerous rhetoric about a very sensitive situation in Kashmir. Why can’t patriotic movies be made about bringing our countries together?”
She asked, “Why not make storylines about Indian patriotism without putting down Pakistan? Why not show the friendship that so many citizens from both countries share? With what we see happening in the world right now does it make sense to speak of occupying any country? Why can’t we create feel-good stories of connection and not these biased, violent, and dangerous storylines not based in fact? That hurt sentiments of many Pakistanis that shower the Bollywood film industry with love?”
For Natasha, cinema and art during times such as this should bring the world together not tear it apart. She called the situation triggering and unnecessary.
