The actor recently featured in a romcom which is the neighbouring country’s biggest grosser to date, playing the Indian father of one of the leads, Kubra Khan
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 11, 2018)

Following the ban on Pakistani artistes in the wake of the Uri attacks of 2017, singers from across the border have been recording songs for Indian films on foreign shores. But veteran actor Kanwaljt Singh, seen on Indian screens sporadically, crossed the border recently for an acting turn in the recently released Pakistani film Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2. The big budget romcom featuring Humayun Saeed, Mawra Hocane and Kubra Khan, is the highest grossing Pakistani film ever and was recently released in Dubai. Kanwaljit, who was last seen in Meghna Gulzar’s Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal-starrer Raazi, is all praise for his colleagues across the border and says he is open to working in more Pakistani projects.

“The writer, Vasay Chaudhry, got in touch with filmmaker Ravi Rai, who makes TV shows in India, saying that he wanted an Indian actor to play the heroine’s father, Nawab saab, since the character is Indian. The character was interesting because he hates Pakistanis but has a change of heart towards the end,” informs the actor.

He filmed in Dubai for 20 days while the others shot in Turkey. “The team treated me wonderfully,” the actor informs, adding that he sees nothing wrong with cultural exchange between the two countries. “I’ve acted in an Indo-Pak collaboration, Virsa, which was made in Punjabi in 2010. Arya Babbar played the lead. Such interactions are important. You don’t need a visa to go there. We should end meaningless fights between both countries. Of course, I don’t want anyone entering my country and engaging in nefarious activities, but cultural exchange is important. It has been happening for years,” he points out.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 6, 2018)

Juhi Chawla, who was in Pakistan last week on a five-day trip to meet members of her extended family, has come back with myriad stories. “I went to meet my aunt, cousins and their children in Karachi. On the last day of my trip, I went to my niece’s store to buy chikankari kurtis. I also met some showbiz people as my cousin, Satish Anand, is a film distributor and TV producer,” the actress informs.

Juhi’s biggest takeaway though was at a multiplex, when her cousins took her to watch the Pakistani film, Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2. “Co-incidentally, the story was about a Pakistani boy falling in love with an Indian girl. I was amazed at how well they make their movies,” she says, adding that she especially enjoyed the Indian film references — in a sangeet scene, the hero dresses like a woman, imitating Madhuri Dixit’s purple sari from Hum Aapke Hai Koun’s “Didi Tera Devar Deewana,” and hat-tips Shah Rukh Khan’s “Ammi jaan Kehti Thi” punchline from Raees.

Juhi is tickled funny at the memory of seeing familiar faces during her trip. “It just didn’t feel like a different country. I would keep saying ‘Namaste’ to everyone and they would greet me back with ‘Salam Alaikum’,” she smiles, happy to report that Pakistan is keeping up with the times.

“Karachi is changing dramatically and mostly for the better. When I was there four years ago, people were wary of venturing out at night as the streets would be deserted because of the high crime rate and many would travel with security guards. Now, the place is buzzing with energy. My cousin even took me to Boat Club once.”