Pulwama attack: Shoots halted as film bodies in Mumbai protest

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Pulwama attack: Shoots halted as film bodies in Mumbai protest

Monday, 18 February 2019 | TN RAGHUNATHA | Mumbai

Work came to a grinding halt for at least four hours at the Film City at Goregaon in north Mumbai on Sunday, as film personalities, technicians and prominent cricketers, owing to allegiance to as many as 24 film associations, joined the protests against the Pulwama terror attack.

The shooting of Amitabh Bachchan’s next film “Brahmastra” and a commercial featuring cricketers Virendra Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman  and Suresh Raina were among the film engagements that came be suspended for anywhere from two to four hours to facilitate participation of the artistes, directors and technicians in the protests.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) had taken the lead in organising the protests. Informed IFTDA sources said that Big-B could not join the protests as he was in the get up for the film.

Announcing the boycott of films featuring Pakistani artistes and singers in the wake of Pulwama attack, IFTDA’s President Ashoke Pandit said: “”We won’t let any film release which has even a song by any Pakistani singer, forget about actors. We will take strong action if we come to know anything.”

Echoing the sentiments of  Pandit, BN Tiwari, president of Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), said that all the film associations had decided to  “boycott totally” any Pakistani artiste working in Hindi films.

Pandit also announced that that various film and television associations had decided to boycott India’s former test cricketer and Punjab’s Minister to boycott Navjot Singh Siddhu, who appears on “The Kapil Sharma Show”,  for his questionable comment whether entire Pakistan could be blamed for a handful of people who perpetrated the Phulwama attack.

Speaking on the occasion, Sehwag said: “Compared with what our soldiers do at the borders on a day-to-day basis, whatever we are doing and saying is less. We are deeply pained at Phulwama, but are hopeful for a better time for all of us in the future... At this juncture, we can only thank them and should do whatever can to help them”.

“These are tough times but let’s stay united so that they aren’t able to break us. I’m grateful to all the soldiers who protect us around the clock. Cricketers, actors aren’t heroes. The real hero of the nation is our soldier,” Harbhajan said, expressing hope that the sacrifices made by the martyred soldiers in Pulgh does not go in vain.

Apart from film personalities, cinematographers, make up men, costumes, junior artists, editors, fighters and dancers participated in the protests.

It may be recalled 40 CRPF soldiers were killed and five others injured when a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle laden with explosives into their bus on Thursday last. The Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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