Faysal Quraishi, one of Pakistan's top actors and producers, has advocated for the release of Indian films in the country to revive the local cinema exhibition sector.
Quraishi, who has starred in several hit serials and also produced many blockbuster series, said Pakistan needed to lift the ban on screening of Indian films to survive and grow.
"Being a Pakistani, I'm very patriotic. But if you have to run Pakistani cinemas, you must exhibit Indian films. I'm being very selfish.
"But I know the audience in Pakistan wants to watch Indian films. You can't enforce your will on them. (Let us) Work to improve relations," he said in an interview with a local channel.
There has been a complete ban on the screening of Indian films in cinema houses in Pakistan since late 2019. Still, movie buffs can easily watch these movies on different streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video, which are legal, and even others that are accessible through VPN services.
If there was no ban on Indian films in Pakistan, Quraishi said the Pakistan film drama industry would have been earning around Rs 6,000 to 7,000 million annually from the entertainment business, including screening of Pakistani content on Indian streaming portals and some channels.
"Our movies and serials were being shown on their online portals and people went to the cinemas as well to watch Indian films, and it brought in valuable revenue for our industry. It is funny we tend to shut down our avenues of revenue," he said.
Quraishi said he had concluded that until Indian films were allowed to be screened in Pakistani cinemas its industry could not grow.
"People need new and exciting content to attract them to the cinemas and for that not only do we need to improve our content and business models but also have no ban on screening of Indian movies. This would also reopen our content on streaming portals," he added.
Quraishi said the Pakistan entertainment industry can be revived and it was necessary for Pakistani content to be shown on streaming portals.
"It is time we started producing content of such a level that we can even hit the international streaming platforms," he said.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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