Not possible at the moment: Javed Akhtar on Pak artistes working in India

"Should we allow Pakistani artistes to work here?" That, lyricist Javed Akhtar said on Tuesday, is the question to be asked in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.

There is hardly "any warmth today" in India-Pakistan cultural ties, the veteran screenwriter-poet noted while saying that this is not the time to even think about whether Pakistani artistes should be allowed to work in India.

"This could be thought about in better times and hopefully after some years some sense will prevail. And there'll be a better attitude towards India from the establishment of Pakistan. And then this can be considered. But at the moment, this question should not be asked. Not possible," Akhtar told PTI in an interview.

He added that Pakistani artistes such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali and Noor Jehan were welcomed with open arms by Indian authorities in the past but this wasn't reciprocated by the Pakistani establishment.

Akhtar's comments come after government sources said last week that ‘Abir Gulaal’, featuring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, will not be allowed to release in theatres in India. The move comes amid growing calls for a ban on the movie, earlier slated for release on May 9, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.

Asked whether the ban is fair, Akhtar said there would be a better time for this discussion.

"Particularly whatever has happened recently after that (it) should not even be a topic at the moment. There is hardly any friendly feeling or warmth because of what has happened in Pahalgam," he told PTI on the sidelines of the ‘IP and Music: Feel the beat of IP’ event organised by FICCI.