New Delhi: First Pathaan and Tiger 3, now Fighter—Pakistanis are questioning Bollywood’s “obsession” with them. The recent release of the trailer of Siddharth Anand’s highly anticipated action movie, Fighter, starring Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, and Hrithik Roshan, is set to amp up national pride and patriotism—in India. But in Pakistan, people are not amused by this “faltu aggression”, and everyone, from celebrities to Bollywood fans, is calling out the movie’s agenda.
“You can make a patriotic movie without putting another country down. You don’t have to hate on Pakistan or America or another country just to make patriotic films,” said Pakistani actor Zara Noor Abbas in a series of Instagram stories.
Even before Fighter, film critics, authors, and commentators were questioning why Pakistan was featuring so prominently in Bollywood films. In Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi (2018), the protagonist played by Alia Bhatt is an Indian spy stationed in Pakistan. The following year, it was Uri: The Surgical Strike, a fictionalised account of the events following the 2016 Uri attack.
“We’d be flattered if it weren’t so nasty,” wrote Fatima Bhutto for The Guardian in February 2023.
There was a time when Bollywood movies had a loyal following of fans across the border. They demonstrated as Bhutto pointed out, the “incredible power of culture done right”. But over the last few years, ‘incidents’ between India and Pakistan have been on the rise, and Fighter reflects this. Set to release on 25 January before Republic Day, the movie is based on the 2019 Balakot airstrike, the 2019 Pulwama incident, and the 2019 India–Pakistan border skirmishes.
“Literally almost every franchise Film in Bollywood is based on the Pakistan storyline, and Today Fighter also joins the list. Are they not bored yet of the same angle,” asked one X (formerly Twitter) user from Pakistan.
Also read: Arrest, abduction or escape? ‘Missing’ PTI candidate sends Pakistanis on a hunt
India of Veer-Zaara vs Fighter
With statements like India is the “owner” of Kashmir and ‘India Occupied Pakistan’, Fighter’s stand is very clear. For Pakistani make-up artist Natasha Ali Lakhani, it’s a trigger.
On Instagram, she wrote a long post on her last visit to India for the premiere of Sonya Jehan starrer Taj Mahal (2005). “The director was Sanjay Khan & we were invited to the wedding festivities of Zayed Khan whilst there. Hrithik was such a superstar at this time but upon seeing him with his family/friends he was so down to earth and humble,” she wrote.
Lakhani finds it hard to reconcile this new aggression with the ‘love and warmth’ she received from Indians in the past.
“Why can’t patriotic movies be made about bringing our countries together? Why not make storylines about Indian patriotism without putting down Pakistan? Why not show friendship…?” she asks.
While many agreed with her, some also recalled a different era when director Yash Chopra made Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta starrer Veer-Zaara, which was deemed as “a gift to Pakistan”.
“The film was all about peace and love. These days somehow they are obsessed with Pakistan and unfortunately despite Indians being very nice to you, it sells in India,” a comment under Lakhani’s post read.
Many were also quick to point out that both Hrithik Roshan and Anil Kapoor have roots tracing back to Pakistan.
“Gets funnier when you realise the two main characters have literal ties to Pakistan. Hrithik Roshan’s grandfather was from Gujranwala in Pakistan and Anil Kapoor’s father was from Peshawar in Pakistan. Both migrated in ‘47. So much for ‘occupying’ Pakistan lol,” a tweet reads.
Several news portals also weighed in on the decision. Pakistan’s lifestyle magazine Unscripted called India’s anti-Pakistan animosity ‘Bollywood’s main source of revenue.’
And while opinions are divided on both sides of the border, there is consensus on one point: the action sequences in the trailer are stunning.