A Bollywood film starring Pakistani A-lister Fawad Khan in the lead role has been pulled from Indian release following a deadly attack in New Delhi-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. 

The move, part of an informal but powerful ban on artists from across the border, threatens to undo years of cultural exchange between India and Pakistan.  

The April 22 killing in the mountain town of Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, was the deadliest in years in the disputed region that both countries claim in full but administer in part. India has held Pakistan indirectly responsible for the violence, which reignited nationalist anger across the country.

Denying any involvement, Islamabad called attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack "frivolous" and vowed to respond to any Indian action.

Shortly after the attack, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) issued a strongly worded statement reaffirming its long-standing ban on Pakistani actors, singers, and technicians.

Social media campaigns and mainstream media outlets echoed the call, with hashtags like #BoycottAbirGulaal trending online.

“It’s disappointing… Cricket and entertainment always get the first hit when the two countries fight. That’s because both sports and entertainment are symbolic manifestations of the state,” says Abdul Rafay Mahmood, a cultural critic and assistant professor of practice at Habib University, Karachi.

Hindi and Urdu – the primary languages of Bollywood and its Pakistani counterpart known as Lollywood – are mutually intelligible. Shared cultural references, such as music, food, and traditions, make films relatable to audiences on both sides of the border.

For Pakistani actors, Bollywood’s global reach offers fame and financial rewards that are hard to achieve in the local film industry. Indian films, meanwhile, enjoy a massive following in Pakistan, providing Bollywood film producers with substantial revenues.

“When you ban any form of art, the loss is not of economic value. The loss is of social value,” Mahmood tells TRT World.

This is not the first time India has banned Pakistani actors. For about a decade, artists from across the border frequently appeared in mainstream Bollywood movies, until 2016, when New Delhi imposed a blanket ban in response to the Uri attack in Kashmir that killed 19 soldiers.

An Indian court lifted the ban in 2023, paving the way for projects like the movie Abir Gulaal featuring Pakistan’s Khan. Originally due for worldwide release on May 9, the film’s songs were released a week ago, only to be taken off YouTube India immediately after the Pahalgam attack.

Pakistani actors have long enjoyed widespread popularity in India, despite Bollywood being bigger than Pakistan’s film industry by many orders of magnitude. Much of their appeal stems from the popularity of Pakistani dramas, which are widely watched in India via YouTube, Mahmood says.

Pakistani actors are also sought after for their good looks, talent, novelty factor, and a “totally different” mannerism, he adds.

“What Bollywood is losing [through the ban] is its value as the epitome of cultural inclusivity, of true and honest art. Its art is no longer representative of the liberal values that the art is always supposed to inspire,” Mahmood says.

After the 2016 Uri attack, anti-Pakistan content in mainstream Bollywood movies became more pronounced. This shift, Mahmood notes, coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist agenda, intertwining anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim sentiment. 

Movies like Raazi (2018), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Shershaah (2021), Pathaan (2023), and The Kashmir Files (2022) often portray Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism within India.

Shared cinematic past

Before the 1947 partition, the Indian subcontinent boasted a unified film industry centered in cities like Bombay (now Mumbai), Lahore, and Calcutta (now Kolkata).

Many Bollywood legends, including Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, were born in present-day Pakistan. After the partition, Mumbai emerges as the heart of Bollywood, while Lahore became the hub for Lollywood.

Indian films have always remained popular in Pakistan, often accessed through unofficial channels like illegal downloads during times of bans.

The first significant cross-border collaboration took place in 2007 with Khuda Kay Liye, a Pakistani film featuring legendary Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah. It also became the first Pakistani film to be screened in Indian theatres after a 40-year ban imposed following the 1965 India-Pakistan war.

In the years that followed, several top Pakistani actors carved out successful careers in Bollywood. 

Fawad Khan became an overnight Bollywood sensation with his debut in Khoobsurat (2014), followed by major roles in Kapoor & Sons (2016) and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016).

Pakistani actress Mahira Khan starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan, the uncrowned king of the Indian cinema, in Raees (2017), earning critical acclaim. Other Pakistani artists, like Ali Zafar, built fanbases in India with lead roles in films such as Tere Bin Laden (2010), Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011) and Chashme Baddoor (2013).

But the 2016 Uri attack abruptly halted nearly a decade of cross-border collaboration. The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association banned Pakistani artists and Pakistan responded by suspending Indian films in its cinemas. 

Rising tensions

Devika Mittal – the convener for Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a coalition of activists working for peace between India and Pakistan – says the appreciation for artists across the border highlights common ground between the two countries. 

“Putting a ban on cross-border collaborations entails a loss of this opportunity for both India and Pakistan,” she tells TRT World.

However, after the Pahalgam attack, Mittal acknowledges there is “much anger and shock” among Indians, emotions she describes as “valid and understandable”.

“This decision to ban Pakistani actors must be seen in this light… In this time of political tension, cultural cross-border collaborations may not seem ethical,” she says.

“Bollywood actors are also seen as role models. Most of them do have personal friendship with people of Pakistan, and so is true for ordinary Indians and Pakistanis. But at the moment, this is beyond personal,” Mittal says.

The renewed ban on Pakistani actors highlights the vulnerability of cultural collaboration between India and Pakistan in times of political crisis. As tensions escalate, one of the few remaining avenues for cross-border engagement is once again closing.