ISLAMABAD, 3 May 2006 — Bollywood giant Naseeruddin Shah arrived in Pakistan on Monday to greet his fans at a press conference organized by a local literary organization.
He expressed his deep love for the people of Pakistan, and, despite repeated questions, mostly skirted away from political topics.
“What I have brought for the people of Pakistan is love and only love because the people demonstrated warmth and love for me upon my arrival in Lahore,” the renowned Indian actor told a group of local journalists.
When pressed on Indian-Pakistan tensions, the long-time Bollywood fixture stuck to his guns and, much like a politician would, answered only in platitudes.
“I have brought the message of love from the people of India for the people of Pakistan,” he said.
“I am happy that India and Pakistan are engaged in talks and are taking confidence building measures.”
He then drew the line on the political questions, and diverted discussion to the real topic at hand, honoring one of Pakistan’s great playwrights.
“Politics is not my cup of tea. Please do not ask political questions, as I am not a politician. I am an artist and here I am to pay my tributes to Ismat Chugtai, one of the greatest writers of South Asia.”
He said he admired Ismat Chugtai because her plays reflect social themes relevant to the audience.
Naseeruddin has just completed shooting a Pakistani film titled “Khuda Kaliya,” directed by famous PTV producer and director Shoeb Mansoor, who runs Shoman, his own production house.
“Theater needs attention in Pakistan,” said Naseeruddin. “Pakistan has great culture but it is not reflected in Pakistani movies and theater.”
Journalists were seemingly more interested in hedging the actor into addressing Indo-Pak relations, but he was adamant about maintaining his apolitical stance.
He steered the audience like a conductor away from politics and back to his passion.
“Film is neither an art nor a vehicle for change. It is an instrument that reflects social and cultural values,” he said, adding that Pakistani filmmakers should reflect more and more culture rather than adopting action like Hollywood or Bollywood.
