Ranbir Kapoor clarifies his statement about wanting to do Pakistani films, claims his comment was 'misconstrued'

Ranbir Kapoor stated last year that he had no issues about working with a Pakistani filmmaker. At the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, he had made this statement. He received a lot of backlash for his statement on social media shortly after, with some people labelling him "unpatriotic." Kapoor, however, believes that his comment was "misconstrued," and he does not believe that it was controversial to begin with.

The actor responded in the affirmative when a Pakistani filmmaker asked him at the Red Sea International Film Festival if he would collaborate with a Pakistani team. He said, “Of course, sir. I think there are no boundaries for artistes, especially for arts.” Recently, during a promotional event for his upcoming film Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar in Chandigarh, Kapoor addressed the issue. He said, “I think yeh thoda mera statement misconstrue ho gaya tha. (I think my statement was misconstrued). I had gone to a film festival and there were a lot of Pakistani filmmakers asking me this question, ‘If you’ve got a good subject would you do it?’ So, I didn’t want it to be controversial in any way.”

The actor further added, “I don’t think itni bhi badi controversy hui. But, for me, films are films, art is art. I have worked with Fawad Khan in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. I have known a lot of artists from Pakistan. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam are such great singers who used to contribute to Hindi cinema. So, cinema is cinema. I don’t think cinema sees boundaries.” He concluded saying, “But, of course, you have to respect art but at the same time art is not bigger than your country. So, anybody who is not on good terms with your country, your first priority will always be your country.”

In the wake of the Uri assaults in 2016, India imposed a de facto embargo on works by Pakistani artists.

Meanwhile, Luv Ranjan's Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar marks Ranbir Kapoor's return to the romantic comedy genre after his appearance in Brahmastra. The movie will be released in theatres on March 8 to coincide with the Holi celebration. Following this, the actor will appear in the crime drama Animal directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga.