To be produced by award-winning veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, the project traces the story of two musicians from across the border and their journey of self discovery
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 12, 2016)


Over the last 15 years, Harsh Narayan has been trying to strengthen Indo-Pak relations with the help of influencers from both the countries. While he took classical vocalist L K Pandit and his composer-granddaughter Meeta of the Gwalior Gharana to perform in Lahore, he has brought Pakistani students to India to undertake Vipassana programs and attend Spic Macay performances for the last three years. More recently, Pakistani singer Farida Khanum toured India and Karachi-based Ustad Naseeruddin Sani performed 25 concerts across the border at the behest of Narayan.

Now, Narayan is set to direct a cross-border story of two musicians who set out on a tour of both the countries and discover themselves in the course of the journey. Titled Ye Raste Hain Pyar Ke, the film will be produced by Shyam Benegal. The news comes close on the heels of calls to ban Pakistani talent in India in the wake of the Uri attacks with Rahul Dholakia’s Raees which features Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with Fawad Khan in a guest appearance and Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi which has Ali Zafar as one of the male leads, facing the flak. While political parties including Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena have demanded that Pakistani actors be replaced in Indian films, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA) passed a resolution on October 2 banning artistes from across the border. But Benegal and Narayan are unperturbed.

“I believe there couldn’t be a better time to put out a film that explores love and peace and promotes humanity,” Narayan says, noting that Saadat Hasan Manto wrote his best work, including Toba Tek Singh, during the Partition. “Faiz Ahmed Faiz wrote the famous poem, Black-Out, while the 1965 Indo-Pak war was underway. His Subh-e-azadi: Dawn of Independence faced protests. From 1947 till his death in 1984, Faiz composed poems in which he spoke lovingly about his land and its long-suffering people, their hopes and fears, joys and sorrows. I'm trying to capture that feeling through my film,” Narayan asserts.

Benegal told Mirror, “People called me mad when I was making Ankur! I have found another mad-creative filmmaker in Harsh. He is capable, hard-working and can take on all the creative responsibilities necessary in making this film.”

Narayan has received support from other prominent personalities as well. While Mahesh Bhatt who believes the film’s idea “has immense possibilities and it affirms life in a very elementary way” has come on board as a creative advisor, he is joined by Salima Hashmi, daughter of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and a renowned writer-painter. “Harsh has played a pivotal role in forging friendships between the Indian and Pakistani youth. For the last decade, students have worked with him and travelled to India in groups to meet young people at different venues, participating in cultural activities including music and theatre to learn from each other and to promote peace. He is continuing his work in the same direction through films,” she said.

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan has green-lit the project as well. “Respected Pakistanis and Indians who have known Narayan over the years and have seen him work relentlessly speak highly of his endeavours. I feel this film will help reduce friction between the two nations,” he said.

FAWAD KEEN ON THE ROLE, TO RESPOND WHEN THINGS COOL DOWN

Fawad Khan first read the script of Ye Raste Hain Pyar Ke three months ago and has been in talks with the makers ever since. “At the moment, he is sceptical about reactions to him working in an Indo-Pak co-production. He has shown a keen interest and will respond as soon as the present situation cools down. We are hoping he agrees to play the lead musician in the film,” Narayan told Mirror.

The 34-year-old Pakistani actor who has appeared in two Bollywood films, Khoobsurat and Kapoor & Sons, addressed the backlash in India to Pakistani artistes for the first time on October 7 through a Facebook post, saying, “As a father of two little children, I pray and wish like many others that together we can build and live in a more peaceful world. I believe we owe it to our children who will shape our tomorrow.”

Naseeruddin Shah on being trolled for his pro-Pak stance, the 'award vapsi' trend and why, at times, he prefers working with newcomers over former colleagues
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 6, 2015)


Last month, Naseeruddin Shah made headlines with his candid take on Indo-Pak relations at the controversial launch of former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's new book, Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove: An Insider's Account of Pakistan's Foreign Policy. "I've been to Pakistan to perform and none of my shows were ever cancelled or disrupted. I wish we could have extended a similar courtesy to Kasuri sahab," he had said.

His comments caused a furore online and the 66-year-old actor was described as "biased" and branded a "Pakistani". When asked what it felt to be trolled for his pro-Pak remarks, Naseer points out that he was targeted only because he is a Muslim. "It really pains me but I had never been so conscious of my religious identity until now. Four generations of my family have lived in India. I am a proud Indian and won't allow anyone to question my patriotism. If I say Imran Khan (cricketer) is great, does that make Sunil Gavaskar any less a cricketer?" he reasons.

One of the most decorated actors of his time - he's won the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, and three National Awards (for Sparsh, Paar and Iqbal) - Naseer reveals that he doesn't understand the concept of returning awards. He doesn't approve of writers returning their awards in protest against the Dadri lynching and murders of eminent rationalists. "I wish they would assume a stronger tone in their writing instead of returning their awards. Awards mean nothing to me so I won't bother returning them," he explains.

Naseer will next be seen in Manish Srivastava's Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein, a thriller in which he plays a cop trying to decipher a rare case of multiple homicides. He is quick to explain that 'Charlie' in the title refers to a popular form of cocaine, and while he has experimented with a lot of things, he wouldn't recommend it to anyone. "But I also think there's a 'demonisation' of the phenomenon," he says.

Quiz him about his actor-musician son Imaad, who is known to be a party animal and he reasons, "The youth have always lived life on their own terms, experimenting with things regardless of parental policing. I always did what I wanted to despite my strict father. Luckily, I acquired a sense of wrong and right with time and experience. I have great faith in today's youngsters; they're far more evolved than my generation was."

The actor, who featured in Abhishek Chaubey's Ishqiya and Dedh Ishqiya, denies signing any more sequels, including Anees Bazmee's follow-up to Welcome Back. He is keener to work with younger directors. "Each experiment has its pitfalls though. Still, working with former colleagues isn't always a great idea, working with fresh talent, generally is," he says.

This approach may have something to do with the fact that the veteran, who admits to not being a fan of Hindi films, loved two recent directorial debuts - Neeraj Ghaywan's Masaan and Chaitanya Tamhane's Court, which is India's official entry to the Oscars 2016.

His own directorial debut, Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota, (2006) sank without a trace. Does he intend to return to filmmaking anytime soon? "That film is a blot on my cinematic record and I have to set it right. But I really don't know how to do that," he sighs.

Wouldn't it be great to document everything that he has learnt from professional misfires and personal experiences in a biopic? "I want Shekhar Kapur to direct a biopic on my life, but he probably won't be interested," Naseer laughs.