Mumbai: Even as director Kabir Khan is riding on the success of his last release Bajrangi Bhaijaan, his next film starring Saif Ali Khan titled Phantom has already run into controversies. While Bajrangi received positive response from the Pakistani censors and the audience, Phantom, which is a political thriller, based on a popular espionage novel, has a petition filed against it by notorious terrorist and one of the prime suspects behind 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Hafiz Saeed, who has alleged that the film intends to “poison the minds of the Pakistani people”.
Convening a press conference to clear the air, Kabir along with Saif stated in in no uncertain terms that even though Phantom has a political premise, there is nothing objectionable in the film that would call for a ban.
Kabir Khan said, “We have not received any intimation or communication from the Pakistani establishment about this case. The only reason we are here speaking about this issue is because there has been a lot of public and media attention to the whole issue. At this stage, speaking of legal action is hypothetical. But even if this matter goes to court, I don’t think there are any justifiable grounds to ban the film. If there is a communication with the Pakistani authorities and we are asked to present our case then we will consult with the lawyers and decide on our course of action. Besides, as of now there is no ‘ban’. The film hasn’t been shown to the censors in Pakistan and they haven’t taken a call yet.”
Bollywood’s equation with Pakistan:
“With Pakistan it has always been a very complex relationship. Whenever there is even a minor political undertone, you have to take it under consideration that there might be a problem. However, with this whole episode, the single most astonishing or even amusing thing is that this person (Hafiz Saeed) who has gone to court and filed a petition is actually a terrorist wanted in over 15 countries and has a 10 million bounty on his head and one who has always been one of a divisive disposition. He is accusing us of poisoning the minds of the Pakistani people,” Kabir says.
The film’s leading man Saif said, “I do find it amusing that a terrorist is accusing us of spewing hate. But I also believe that anybody should be able to do anything in any country. Every country has political problems. Even we are banning things here now. But I don’t think we have anything to worry. Kabir has handled the subject very well and there is no ground for banning the film.”
Love for Bhaijaan followed by Phantom unrest:
Kabir said, “Bajrangi is a very different film. There the idea is about friendship and it does not have a political undertone. But with Pakistan it has always been the case that as soon as there is something political it runs into problems.”
Is there any objectionable content in Phantom?
Saif had foreseen some roadblocks. “I had thought that the film might be banned in Pakistan. So there is not much surprise in what has happened. It is a realistic film based on facts but the premise is fictitious. So this was anticipated. However, these are the type of films we should be making,” he said, adding, “Why should we always make a film that is fictitious? I mean no one in today’s audience is going to buy a concept like in old James Bond movies where there is a hidden syndicate or an evil organisation that actually does not exist in reality. Come to think of it, organisations like the RAW are pretty dangerous organisations. All these countries have the capacity for espionage and assassinations. When there is so much interesting content in reality, why should we bank on fiction alone?” Speaking of Phantom in particular he added, “Nobody is against Pakistan. The film’s content is not spewing hate. It is a very interesting and thrilling premise and since it is tailored with facts it makes it all the more interesting.” Kabir also pointed out that the major team members of the film are Indian Muslims.
On releasing the film in Pakistan:
“It’s not about market share or the money that we will make from releasing it in Pakistan,” Kabir said. “The idea is that we should be able to release it anywhere. There is an audience base there that likes and watches Bollywood movies. But we should not join the people and the establishment as a singular factor. Pakistan has always banned Bollywood films without even watching it or ascertaining whether or not they are harmful.”
Saif revealed that his family has some roots in Pakistan. “It is true that we have family on the Pakistani side. In fact many people, several people whose families have an old and long lineage that goes back to before Independence still have relatives in Pakistan, especially Muslims. However, I don’t think anybody likes a movie that intentionally creates divisive tendencies,” he said.
