Pakistani actors should come here and work: Radhika Apte

New Delhi: Radhika Apte does not think Pakistani artistes should be banned from working in the Indian film industry. The 31-year-old Parched actor is the latest to join the debate that whether Pakistani actors should be allowed to work here after the Uri attack. When asked about the issue at the launch of a watch brand, Radhika said, “I think if a Swiss watch can come to the country and have their own corporate stores, I think a Pakistani actor should come here and do a film here in India. That’s my statement.” In the wake of Uri terror attack, MNS had asked Pakistani artistes like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan to leave India, failing which it had threatened to stall their film shoots. They also demanded a ban on Pakistani artists working in the Indian film industry. Subsequently, Indian Motion Pictures’ Artists Association (IMPAA) came out with a resolution to ban all Pakistani artistes and technicians till the relations between the two neighbours normalise. Bollywood has been divided on the issue of ban on Pakistani artistes. Superstar Salman Khan, filmmakers Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Hansal Mehta, Nagesh Kukunoor and veteran actor Om Puri are among those who have opposed the ban while celebrities like Randeep Hooda and Sonali Bendre have backed it.