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Fawad Khan is exotic because he's from the forbidden land: Saif Ali Khan

Fawad Khan is exotic because he's from the forbidden land: Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan's views on the ban on Pakistani artists across the border is the most unusual yet.
Updated 25 Apr, 2017

There have been varying views on India's ban on Pakistani artists, but Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has had the most unusual of them all.

In an interview with Indian Express the Phantom actor said that the only reason Pakistani actors like Fawad Khan are lauded in India is because they're seen as 'exotic' since they hail from the 'forbidden land'.

"Make up your mind, make it a law if you want to," he said of the ban. "(Laughs) Also, there is a sense of exotic to them because they are from the forbidden land, like Fawad Khan. If they were from India, that would remove that extra glamour from them. Maybe they are just usual but there is a Mata Hari sense of a foreigner about them."

Having said that, he questioned the hypocrisy of the ban.

"I can understand the ban. On one hand you are playing nice, casting each other in movies and playing cricket, and on the other hand they cut five people’s heads — who are ‘they’ though, I don’t know," said Saif.

"We don’t know how much to believe. A lot of what happens between the two countries is covert, there are a lot of underhand dealings and trade etc."

Saif was never one to mince his words and this time is clearly no different.

Comments

Nauman Apr 25, 2017 11:40am
Saif Ali Khan sounds confused and Insecure, but more confused. Insecurity comes when there is a talent and not seen so that mainly doesnt apply on him. He should stop working in movies and enjoy his Dad inherited wealth. Full Stop!
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shakeel Mahota Apr 25, 2017 11:44am
Whether Saif believes it or not, Fawad is much more talented than Saif though the latter may feel satisfaction in attributing his popularity to his exoticism. More helpful will it be if Saif understands that talent is not limited to Bollywood only...
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Filmy Guy Apr 25, 2017 11:47am
Well said Saif .. you've spoken a million's mind. A person from a forbidden land (an enemy land) creates more curiosity than anything elemental in him/her.
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Rohit Apr 25, 2017 12:08pm
He's right. And add to that, India's obsession with semi Mediterranean / Persian like facial features.
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r sultan Apr 25, 2017 12:14pm
He is entitled to his views. Clearly, I get the impression that majority of Indians don't regard Pakistanis as foreigners at all but one of their own divided by politics and militants. Very few, I'd say negligible numbers, would object to free movement of peoples and not just artists. Same applies here.
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Raj KUMAR Apr 25, 2017 12:14pm
@Nauman what he said may not be entirely incorrect,there are indeed many layers when we deal with your country.So what he said looks intelligent to me.
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MB Apr 25, 2017 12:22pm
No its because he is better looking than all of you combined
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Chandra Apr 25, 2017 12:49pm
He did not express himself clearly though I got what he wants to convey. People should understand that a country comprises of civil society and state. State is driven by various policies some of which may be faulty and misguiding the civil society. Civil society runs on social values and there should always be interaction between societies for social progress. No society should be living in silos totally overshadowed by state policies. Cultural exchange is important and this should not be limited to film industry.
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ripan Apr 25, 2017 01:04pm
a real descendant of Mughals and a nawab dishing out wannabe arabs and mughals
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satt Apr 25, 2017 01:08pm
What a logical reply.This happens with Pakistani actresses also there are so many Indian women beautiful and talented than those Pakistani actresses now working in Bollywood but still some directors go for these Pakistan actresses just because there is a kind of novelty and exoticism attached to them as they are from a forbidden land.It is more to do with politics rather than art.There is a very good proverb in Hindi for such thinking "Dur ke Dhol Suhane" which in English means "Mountains only looks beautiful from distance".
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nam Apr 25, 2017 01:11pm
I was told Fawad Khan, will rise to glory with or without bollywood. It will be nice if he can become a star in Afghanistan
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Apoorva Apr 25, 2017 01:13pm
Saif is correct
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Asif Kashmiri Apr 25, 2017 01:19pm
Saif - good for nothing
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CURIOUS MIND Apr 25, 2017 01:33pm
It has become the best strategy to stay in the news all you just have to do is give fuming statement and there you go.
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Moksha Apr 25, 2017 01:35pm
Awesome words
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steve Apr 25, 2017 01:39pm
Good one Saif
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Ashwin Apr 25, 2017 01:44pm
You can't undestand Fawad sir's talent when for you star means aged Salman and childish Varun and Siddharth etc.
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AASHISH Apr 25, 2017 01:44pm
fully agree with saif
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Sajjad kamran Apr 25, 2017 01:48pm
Saif Ali Khan is absolutely right in his assessment of Fawad Khan. India with a very large film industry and that too well- established for nearly a cetury now and a hugh population has no dearth of talent. Merely good looks (and that too is a relative term) do not necessarily make one a good actor. If Pakistani artists are being accommodated and patronised by India, this is not due to the fact that India does not have good and talented artists of its own, this is because India wants people to people level contacts in the sphere of culture to flourish. Between the two countries. Let us not have any misgivings about our artists' patronage in India.
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Ghani K (kpK) Apr 25, 2017 02:06pm
Why do Pakistani actors want to work in a country where they are looked upon with suspicion. Saif A.Khan 's comments, 'on other hand they cut 5 people 's heads'. Who are they ?
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Jawad |Ahmed Apr 25, 2017 02:10pm
Till now his wife was appearing in Pakistani Lawn's ads, I think the same applies to her as well
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Bixin Apr 25, 2017 02:14pm
@shakeel Mahota If Fawad is more talented then he should be working in Pakistan. No need to beg bollywood
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Observer Apr 25, 2017 02:20pm
SAK should keep his mouth closed. Every time he opens it he provides yet another proof of idiocy. If you cant be as popular as Fawad Khan it is your shortcoming not Fawad's. Please come out of your comfort zone and work hard to compete with Fawad.
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Mani Apr 25, 2017 02:36pm
He's just trying to remain the news.
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Srinath Apr 25, 2017 02:59pm
@MB lol.... And you forgot acting is an important criteria for an actor which all of our actors are better at than you
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zeeshan Apr 25, 2017 03:06pm
No doubt Fawad is talented actor and the same time gifted with good looks may be Saif is feeling insecure because when comes acting fawad is better then him. Art is not restricted and should not be restricted by land or so called forbidden land if it is so Daleep kumar is the biggest actor and his origin is well known to every one. People will always admire great actors apart from their religion or origin.
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zeeshan Apr 25, 2017 03:16pm
Yeah you had a good chance to show you are patriotic and feel for your people and country, probably good change for you, you should use this against a nightmare since your days are over and there are good talented people ready to replace you on big screen.
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ASB Apr 25, 2017 03:23pm
He is right. We should not let our respective governments mislead us. They have done that in the past.
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pankaj kumar Apr 25, 2017 03:38pm
@Sajjad kamran well said !!
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Irfan Apr 25, 2017 03:47pm
This 'forbidden land' will become a dream land for everyone. It just a matter of time.
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cookie Apr 25, 2017 03:50pm
im sorry but if indians think that they're country has lots of talent (much better than fawad khan)then good for them!....where are they??
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sara.afdal Apr 25, 2017 03:55pm
I think Indians are tired of watching the faces of the likes of Saif Ali Khan. People need to see different faces whether exotic or not. The thing is people like Saif never admit that their time is over.
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Pagadi wala Apr 25, 2017 03:55pm
Rarely, this guy, Saif can also speak sense
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Leo Apr 25, 2017 03:56pm
@Irfan : May God be with you ..greetings from India
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Dawn Apr 25, 2017 04:02pm
Insecurity prevails in the bollywood land from the better gifted Pakistani performers. Effects seems to be devastating for a nobody like this Saif Ali Kon?
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Rahi Apr 25, 2017 04:07pm
Well said. Forbidden things are always tempting.
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Sheraz CHandio Apr 25, 2017 04:27pm
Saif sounds so 'unsafe' as usual.
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sallu Apr 25, 2017 04:31pm
Saif Ali Khan is a loser. Mediocre in acting and totally senseless otherwise.
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imran Apr 25, 2017 04:39pm
Buddy Fawad Khan is a actor who prove himself here and in India he is not acting on the basis of her mother or father background like you .. so obvious reason for Saif remarks are he is dump by Fawad Khan
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Masood Apr 25, 2017 05:06pm
@Rohit : Of course when you spend your day's earning on a bottle of beer and some movie, You want to see some good looking faces, not the same old ugly, frowning black faces, you have seen al day.
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Azhar Hussain Apr 25, 2017 05:17pm
He is playing that Indian tune to the Indian people, these pathetic souls have to do this from time to time to the Indian populace. Look at Amir Khan, SK and Salman one word for Pakistan gets them wrath of the hyper-nationalistic among the 1.3 billion.
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raja farhat abbas Apr 25, 2017 05:36pm
@ripan Very cheap and ignorant comment .For you information I am a Pakistani and i know my roots so don't generalise about us!!.
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raja farhat abbas Apr 25, 2017 05:39pm
@Bixin It's the other way around mate,it's Bollywood that begs for our stars!!.
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Nauman Apr 25, 2017 05:44pm
@Raj KUMAR Indians are and will always be do as directed from their politicians, media and what ever they are impressed with- like so called actors like Saif Ali Khan and if Saif Ali Khan talks looks intelligent to you than i rest my case. :)
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qazi Apr 25, 2017 05:54pm
after reading all of the comments, it's evident India just wants to live in its cocoon. They want their film industry to produce the same old masala curries, with the same old faces, with the same old stories over and over again. This is the reason why Hollywood is so far ahead in terms of talent and production value. They have folks from all over the world making movies.
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Shahryar Shirazi Apr 25, 2017 06:03pm
@satt "There is a very good proverb in Hindi for such thinking "Dur ke Dhol Suhane" which in English means "Mountains only looks beautiful from distance"." "Dur" , "Keh" "Sohaneh" are all persian words.
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Think Apr 25, 2017 06:09pm
@Ashwin what about Hritik, Ranbir Kapoor, Dhahid Kapur? They are neither aged nor too young. Siddharth, Arjun, Varun, Ranveer maybe youthful but are definitely competent actors and by no means childish.
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Think Apr 25, 2017 06:15pm
@cookie where are they? Ranbir, Shahid, Ranveer, Arjun, Suddharth, Varun, ayushman, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sushant Singh Rajput are all talented actors with a more diverse body of work than Fawad and more commercial success. Forget India, why has no one hired Fawad in Pakistan since 2013?
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Ashwin Apr 25, 2017 07:17pm
@THINK Hrithik, Ranbir, Shahid, they all are always ready to do vulgar scenes. They don't have spines like Fawad to say no to kissing and intimate scene. And good body, sorry, acting doesn't need that (see Dilip ji, Amitabh, even Shahrukh). Fawad sir looks very good still normal person. No doubt Hrithik is very hard working but he more and more tries to look abnormal western besides all of his films are full copies of Hollywood movies. Krish-Paycheck, Krish 3-Xmen, Bang bang- Knight and Day.
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SAIF Apr 25, 2017 07:19pm
i donot get what pak ppl see in fawad, a skinny bearded television guy..why they worship him so much..
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isha Apr 25, 2017 07:20pm
so according to saif fawad is popular for this "exotic-ness" , that is what got him a movie like kapor and sons. A movie that become fawad's claim to fame with critics and public in India. If I am not wrong you were among the bw heors who turned down the film .So saif Fawad is popular because of his talent and ability to pick the right roles. stop being so insecure
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tassu Apr 25, 2017 07:30pm
@Jawad |Ahmed Qmobile ads as well. they really don't think before speaking at all. it is their own way to be in the news.
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waseemnoor Apr 25, 2017 08:20pm
Right now saif Ali khan
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Uzma Apr 25, 2017 09:10pm
Has saif Ali khan even seen fawad acting??? His roles in zindagi Gulzaar hai and Humsafar are epic. Saif will never come close to those performances.
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ahmad Apr 25, 2017 11:49pm
Fawad Khans fathers name is not Nawab Mansoor Khan Patoddi and his mother aent Sharmila Taigoor... He has proven himself through his hardwork, he is still one of the most like able and humble stars on both sides of border.. Hope Saif can have a friendship with him and learn some Acting... its never too late...
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ahmad Apr 25, 2017 11:51pm
@Rohit Not fault of Indians they just like their previous conquerors and rulers.. But dont forget "Saif may not agree" however his forefathers still represent same blood flowing into India through the routes you just mentioned... read history
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Malaiak Apr 26, 2017 12:18am
Feeling so sorry for u saif!!!i really couldn't believe on ma eyes yet that what i just saw right out there!!
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Maria Apr 26, 2017 01:05am
@r sultan Wake up man, where have you been? Just take a glance at the Indian media about Pakistan. So much hateful propaganda is spewed against us, that one wonder if they don't have other things to do.
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Zak Apr 26, 2017 02:21am
Fawad khan is handsome that's why he is popular, which can't be said about you. So stop being jealous and better your self.
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zulu Apr 26, 2017 03:00am
But Fawad can never be Sharukh, salman, or amir as he has passport from pak, Note it. saif is just a deprived relative of this land calls pakistan who want to prove it to india but ended up in sadly . saif now you know how and why your films and your image is dump up , playing cheap phantom pakistan zindabaad
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Marigold Apr 26, 2017 07:04am
Fawad would have been popular even if he belonged to India. He is talented and gorgeous. Saif ' s comments sound like sour grapes.
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Jawad Apr 26, 2017 07:21am
Fawad khan won Filmfare in india after his one movie and said Ali Khan....well.....
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Samw Apr 26, 2017 07:31am
@zeeshan I was watched a couple of Bollywood movies where Facade Khan was the hero.. mediocre is the right word to explain his acting..... so don't brag about something which is not worthy enough.
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satt Apr 26, 2017 10:28am
@Shahryar Shirazi Lots of Sanskrit and Persian words are same because they are from same Indo-European language family.Google "Indo-European Language family".
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jS Apr 26, 2017 10:32am
Dear Saif, Am a great fan of yours and know you don't mince words so expect an honest appraisal of Fawad Khan, the actor.
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Khan Apr 26, 2017 11:32am
I think Fawad Khan is much better actor than Saif could ever be. I don't know how with a voice like Saif, someone can be given a role in a movie.
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Khan Apr 26, 2017 11:34am
@Bixin Fawad is a better actor than overrated salman and shahrukh
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Azmeen Apr 26, 2017 01:22pm
@Filmy Guy A person from a forbidden land in an enemy's land cannot succeed without talent. The exotic needs double talent than local ones to be recognized in the enemy's land.
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Imran Apr 26, 2017 02:06pm
People, get a life. This is just a showbiz buzz!!!
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anil sahu Apr 26, 2017 03:04pm
yes saif is correct. pak has limited numbers of celebrities be it in music or movie. so they get visibility. in india so many movies and music going on so people often overlook some talents. so these celebrities will be ordinary if they were indian.
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Sana Apr 26, 2017 03:50pm
@Rohit caz they are beautiful
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Divakar Apr 26, 2017 04:15pm
@r sultan :On what basis you say only "negligible numbers" ?
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TechScribe Apr 26, 2017 06:41pm
@shakeel Mahota I watched Fawad in a movie recently. I like him better than all our Khans. He's a better looker and a good actor.
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SHAHID LATIF Apr 26, 2017 10:58pm
@Sajjad kamran All decision in private sector are commercial. If some one can rake money at box office, every one will go for it.
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Abdulla Hussain Apr 27, 2017 02:47am
Saif Ali Khan should better join a political party, he seems totally at loss.
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KiraAn. Apr 27, 2017 08:05am
@cookie If we were not talented why would Indian movies run more in Pakistani Ones and why would "talented" guys like Fawad come to us?
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Umg Apr 27, 2017 11:32am
It is an unusual mindset.i have not seen or heard Pakistani appreciate any indian.
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Blue Knight Apr 27, 2017 01:27pm
@Shahryar Shirazi "Dur" , "Keh" "Sohaneh" are all persian words... Thanks for pointing out origin of these words.. BUT now it doesn't matter HINDI has adopted these since time immemorial and Hindians don't care about their origin..
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john Apr 27, 2017 02:24pm
@MB ..but no where close to Hritik Roshan and Ranbeer you blind man
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pakistani Apr 27, 2017 05:05pm
A very good way to gain more fans in Pakistan.
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murtaza Apr 27, 2017 11:17pm
@Maria that's the actor who is famous in Bollywood industry
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Sarah Apr 28, 2017 02:48am
Agree with the viewpoint.
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VIN Apr 28, 2017 03:43am
@qazi What Pakistan has to do with Hollywood? Hollywood is in USA not in Pakistan. What happened to TNT?
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Ramu Apr 28, 2017 12:37pm
"Jaane Bhi Do Yarron"!
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anil sahu Apr 28, 2017 05:44pm
@pakistani he doesnot need
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Aj Apr 30, 2017 02:54am
I find Saif to be a better actor and to balance some of your stupid (Good looks) argument, Fawad was a second choice for the movie Kapoors and Sons. He only got it after Saif denied the film..
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Astitwa mishra Apr 30, 2017 02:09pm
@Dawn this is our film industry, and this is on us whether we want to give them work or not. There is nothing about insecurity. We are owner and we don't want your labour. That's it.
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zakhta May 01, 2017 10:23am
@Umg your movies were playing in Pakistani cinemas. I remember more bollywood songs than any other common Indian. My childhood was filled with Amitabh Bachan's movies. What else do you think is appreciation? Pakistanis like Indian people more than anyone else in the world. Its just politics which is dividing us. Believe me like Indians more than any other people in the world.
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zakhta May 01, 2017 10:24am
@Aj thank God that Saif denied Kapoor & Sons, otherwise it would have been a waste for KJo and audiences.
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