Raazi director Meghna Gulzar alludes film not anti-Pakistan following reports of ban in neighbouring country
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 10, 2018)

Even as the Censor Board of Pakistan has slapped a ban on Meghna Gulzar's Raazi citing distributors' apprehension at purchasing rights of a "controversial film", the director insists her film does not take an anti-Pakistan stance. "Purely based on our trailer, it was suggested Raazi may not release in Pakistan. However, no one [in Pakistan] has seen the film. We're hoping that once the film releases, misconceptions about whether or not it is anti-Pakistan will get cleared out," she says of the Alia Bhatt starrer, which revolves around an Indian spy who married a Pakistani army officer during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

Her comments come after reports suggested that senior officials there had referred to India's decision to make controversial films "disappointing". However, Meghna Gulzar says that she has received no intimation of the ban, adding, "There has been no application initiated by us to release it there yet."

With Raazi, she says she has attempted to "remain honest to both" countries." "The situation in Kashmir was different in 1971 than what it is now. The stand that Raazi takes on the India-Pakistan dynamic will be understood by people when they watch the film."