Zindagi Gulzar Hai star Sanam Saeed says Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan 'got brunt' of India’s ban on Pakistani artists

Very well-known for her show Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Sanam Saeed found stardom in 2012 when her show aired in Pakistan. However, the actress left her mark on India along with her co-star Fawad Khan in 2014, when Zindagi Gulzar Hai made the two Indian household names. While her serial was one of the much-loved series in India, Sanam has now said that although Pakistanis have always been exposed to Indian culture via Bollywood movies, Indians hardly get exposure of what life in Pakistan is like. Sanam further spilled the beans on how Pakistani artists make fun of the portrayal of Muslims in Indian movies. Detailing the same, Sanam claimed that the community is “highlighted as the enemy”. Not just this but in a conversation with Brut, Sanam broke the silence on India’s ban on Pakistani artists post-2016 Uri attack. Claiming the ban to be “a rude awakening, a shock, confusion” for the artists, Sanam revealed that her actor colleagues Fawad and Raees actress Mahira Khan are “nervous and scared because of how they were treated” after the ban. Brut has shared a clip of the interview on its official Instagram account, wherein Sanam can be heard saying, “Of course, we always make fun of how Muslims are portrayed in Indian films with the kajal and the namaz cap and the green in the background somewhere to show that this is a Muslim person or a Muslim community. And of course, I mean it gets too political but they have always been highlighted as the enemy.” Sanam continued by saying that she hasn’t seen any project “where the two nations are friends and collaborating together,” while in reality “collaborations are happening at every level."

Talking about the ban after the Uri attack, Sanam said that artists were really “baffled,” as they all wondered why politics was being mixed with art and culture. Sanam said, “And when the ban happened suddenly, it was a bit of a rude awakening, a shock, confusion. Why mix politics with art and culture and all of that?” Calling it “tragic,” Sanam said that they have all gotten over it now. Continuing further, Sanam revealed that “Fawad Khan and Mahira really got the brunt of it. So, I’m sure that they are nervous and scared because of how they were treated.” Earlier, in a conversation with The Indian Express, Sanam said that because the “whole of Pakistan” grew up on films and content from Bollywood, Pakistanis know minute details about India. However, she claimed that the Indians aren’t exposed to their culture, the way they are. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.