It was on July 23 last month that I read a report in Mid-Day which caught my attention. It mentioned that Zee5 is all set to release as many as 29 Pakistani shows on its OTT platform! It also led to the relaunch of the Zindagi channel for the Indian viewers.

This development was something that obviously shocked me. After all, the Bollywood film industry was forced to shun all its association with Pakistani actors after the Uri attack of September 2016. The episode happened 40 days before the release of Karan Johar’s film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil was to release. As luck would have it, it starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan in a supporting role. Post the attack, a section of politicians demanded that Bollywood should boycott Pakistani artistes. Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) threatened Karan that they won’t let his film release unless he removes Fawad’s character from the film overnight. That, obviously, was not possible. Soon, more people joined in this ‘movement’. The ruling party at the Centre, BJP, did nothing to stop MNS from threatening Karan Johar, though KJo resides in a state which was also ruled by them (Maharashtra). The only thing they could do is ‘broker’ peace between the two parties so that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil could release without any problem. The film saw a peaceful light of the day but Karan was mercilessly trolled by self-declared nationalists for his ‘crime’.

The repercussion of this controversy was that Pakistani actors got banned from working in Bollywood. For some weird reason, Bollywood was still ‘allowed’ to have singers from the neighbouring country. Less than a year after the Uri attack, the whole nation got charmed by the recreated version of 'Mere Rashke Qamar' from Baadshaho, sung by Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. A few months later, music lovers fell in love with 'Dil Diya Gallan' crooned beautifully by Atif Aslam, in Tiger Zinda Hai. It’s only after the unfortunate Pulwama attack of February 2019 that self-declared patriots realized that we need to ban singers as well for revenge. Since then, even the singers from across the border have stopped working in Bollywood.

Hence, the decision of Zee5 to launch Pakistani shows was astonishing. I read the article and was sure that soon, there would be a backlash. But nothing of that sort happened. Then on July 31, Zee5 dropped the trailer of its first Pakistani web series, called Churails. Directed by Cake director Asim Abbasi, it stars Sarwat Gillani, Mehar Bano, Nimra Bucha, and Yasra Rizvi. The show revolves around the four women who run a detective agency that exposes the cheating husbands in Karachi.

I saw the trailer and was impressed by its quirkiness and bold quotient. I was scared to scroll down and check the comments as I expected tons and tons of hate, which is the norm nowadays. Nowadays, people are already presumed to be very angry with Indian-based celebrities like Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Mahesh Bhatt and of course, Karan Johar. I can’t imagine the volley of abuses they must have spewed on the actors and team of Churails; after all, they belong to ‘enemy country’.

I gathered courage and finally began to see the comments. And I couldn’t believe my eyes. The discussions and posts made by people seemed very cordial and respectful! Was I dreaming? People can be seen appreciating Pakistani makers and writers for making such path-breaking stuff and criticized Bollywood for not learning from them! I kept scrolling and kept waiting for that one revolutionary person who would have written ‘PKMKB’ or ‘Boycott Churails’ type of comments. There was none.




I kept a tab on Twitter for a few days, next. I was sure #BoycottChurails, #UnsubscribeZee5 or #UninstallZee5 would soon start trending. That didn’t happen, either!

Of course, it didn’t take me much time to understand why the self-appointed deshbhakts have gone into hibernation this time. First, let us understand how these boycott protests actually work, especially in context of Bollywood and web series. There’s a group of influential people with millions of followers, all staunch supporters of right-wing ideology. They have their masters, usually connected with political parties, who instruct them to start these boycott campaigns. In most cases, a time is decided and the hashtag is given in advance in a Google document. Then, at the designated time, millions of followers start using the hashtag in question and hence it started trending. Now, the regular netizens notice the ‘trend’. They feel a spontaneous movement has begun against Bollywood or some actor from the film industry. These people don’t want to feel left out or sometimes they do have a soft hatred towards the industry. Hence, they too start using the hashtag and hence the ‘movement’ grows further.

The next step is to target more gullible people on WhatsApp. As is common knowledge, the messaging app is where most rumours and misinformation gets generated and spread. The same group of people who started the ‘movement’ will create several messages which are provocative and which showcase members of Bollywood fraternity as sell-outs and traitors. They’ll push you to forward the said message in ‘national interest’. There are sensible people who rubbish these forwards and even inform the sender about the lies in the message. But most of the times, people happily share. The ‘movement’ further grows! The ‘movement’ would not have begun had these professional and organized trolls not even started the ‘boycott’ mania in the first place. And most of these movements don’t really make a difference to the lives of the people. For instance, was your life seriously affected because of Pakistani artistes in Bollywood? But you were made to believe otherwise. In short, you became a puppet in the hands of these people and they shamelessly used you for your selfish agenda.

The question that has surely risen in your mind is – why isn’t the right-wing trolls boycotting Zee5 then? The answer can be found in the first 3 letters of the name of the OTT platform – Zee! Zee5 is a part of the sprawling Zee Group, founded and run by a man called Subhash Chandra. He’s known to be a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is even quite close to him. His biography was launched by the Prime Minister himself, that too from his residence, in a high-profile event. One of the channels of the Zee group is the Hindi news channel Zee News. It openly flaunts its love for the ruling government and has time and again spread lies to favour BJP and show its opponents in negative light. And believe it or not, Subhash Chandra had stopped airing Pakistani shows on Zindagi channel less than a week after the Uri attack, in national interest of course!

Hence, it’s no surprise that Churails, presented by Zee5, has been spared the abuses and boycott campaigns by the ruling party. After all, it’s the ruling party that controls most of these right-wing influencers. And since the party command didn’t instruct the influencers, these professional trolls chose to look the other way when Churails trailers was dropped and even the series got released, on August 11. In turn, you, too, are okay with the development!

I know many of you still can’t believe what I have written here and have loads of questions for me as a counter. Let me pick few ones:

“I was not aware that Churails has released on Zee5. Or else, I would have surely protested”
Yes, it’s a possibility that you didn’t realize that the said show has dropped online. But many did. As of August 15 2:15 PM IST, it’s trailer on YouTube has got nearly 42 lakh views. Moreover, it has not released on any unknown platform but on Zee5, which is one of the biggest streaming portals in India. On YouTube, it has 3.86 million subscribers. It has lakhs of followers on social media websites as well. Churails was well promoted across these websites. Lakhs of people knew about its existence, including the professional trolls and their political masters.

“There’s not much of anger against Pakistan anymore. With time, the anger has subsided”
If only that was true! In June this year, T-Series faced severe backlash (again it was generated) for uploading a song sung by Pakistani singer Atif Aslam. The ‘criticism’ was so immense that T-Series had to remove the track and even tender an apology. I refuse to believe that the ‘anger’ against Pakistan was present till June 2020 but vanished within a month’s time, when the trailer of Churails released. This also makes it clear that if Karan Johar or Bhushan Kumar (of T-Series) or Aditya Chopra had backed Chudails, it would have also become a target of the trolls.

Try as much as you want. Put up as many excuses as you can think of. But the fact remains – you have been played all along all this while by the politicians. They used you. You let them. You didn’t realize they are using you. Instead, you felt patriotic. You considered yourself a ‘warrior’ who fulfilled his duty towards the country by insulting Bollywood personalities. Today, when an Indian channel has released a Pakistani show, the same netas have changed the rules. That’s because the channel owner is their ally and hence, he is immune. And yet, you are silent. You don’t feel cheated or used. Or maybe you do but you won’t accept. Or else, you might argue, “But what can I do?” The saddest part is that if tomorrow, for some reason, a boycott campaign starts against Churails, you’ll happily join in and make it clear that you are at their service for their selfish needs at their beck and call!

Is that what you really are, dear countryman? We have the largest workforce and we are easily amongst the world’s most smartest, creative and hard-working people. The country’s situation is concerning and there’s so much we can all do together. But instead, the government diverts our attention using silly hashtags. It makes villain out of people who are merely doing their job and working day and night to entertain us. Are we still going to give in to their wishes? Or are we going to speak and reject such useless movements that do nothing to improve our lives?

I have often revisited Churails trailer just to see the comments and to see the sanity out there, which has been missing on the internet since a long time. It feels so good to read people’s thoughts at a place where the government hasn’t jumped in to divide-and-rule. But on second thoughts, that’s because the government has chosen to step away to support its founder. I am waiting for the day when the people of this country make it loud and clear that government’s interference and stupid strategies won’t work and they need to focus on the real issues at hand. That’ll be the day when art will totally flourish and where boycott and bans will be relics of the past. This Independence Day, let’s hope that day comes soon!

P.S.: This post is not against Churails or Zee5 and doesn’t support any boycott campaign against them at all. I appreciate Zee5 for taking this initiative. I haven’t seen Churails but I shall watch soon and also looking forward to their other shows. Shailja Kejriwal, chief creative officer — special projects, Zee Entertainment, has hinted that Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan might also be seen in one of their upcoming shows. Bring it on!

Fawad Khan's Humsafar was part of its roster till 2016

Four years after Pakistani shows were pulled down from Indian television, Zindagi chief Shailja Kejriwal reveals how channel is being relaunched with original series
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 23, 2020)

Last year, it was heard that Saba Qamar (right), the leading lady of Irrfan's Hindi Medium (2016), was set to headline a ZEE5 show. The development was difficult to stomach since Indian cine bodies had announced a collective ban on Pakistani artistes post the 2016 Uri attacks. Nine months since, we seem to have found the answer as ZEE5 announced the relaunch of Zindagi channel, which used to curate Pakistani, Turkish and other Middle-Eastern dramas for the Indian audience. In 2016, it removed shows developed in the neighbouring country from its slate.

Shailja Kejriwal (left; below), chief creative officer — special projects, Zee Entertainment, reveals that the channel will also develop original content in its second outing. "The love for Zindagi shows has remained undeterred [in these years], and we believe that art is the biggest propagator of social change. It is a mix of these two factors that encouraged us to bring Zindagi on ZEE5. While we offered the best curated shows in phase one, this time around, the offering extends to producing original content."

The decision may face flak given the strained equation between the two neighbouring countries. However, Kejriwal is optimistic. "In today's world, art needs to make a statement. Borders shouldn't exist beyond the politics of things and love must override the circulation of hate," she says.

Laying out her vision for the first year, she informs that 29 shows are on the anvil, including Shehr-e-Zaat, Mastana Mahi and Aunn Zaara. "We will announce our first original shortly."

Quiz her if she is referring to the Qamar-fronted show, and she weighs her words, "Saba is doing a project for us. We had a wonderful time working together over Skype and Zoom calls. She is happy to do something for us after witnessing the massive success of Hindi Medium."

Kejriwal notes that the channel had made Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan household names in India. "In its first round, it brought many new faces to this country and they became overnight sensations. We will do it this time, too. There's a certainty of Mahira, Fawad and Saba returning [to the screen]."


Mahira Khan headline the channel's new offerings

Aseem Chhabra on Irrfan Khan’s bout with illness and what makes the veteran actor stand apart from the rest of his peers
MUMBAI MIRROR (January 5, 2020)

It is hard to say when Irrfan Khan fell ill. Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia told me he had suddenly begun to lose weight and that had caused concern. “He loves to eat a lot, but he’s so careful with his weight and what he actually eats,” Tishu said a few months after Irrfan had made the devastating announcement. “Especially now that he has become a star, he watches what he eats. He was growing his own organic vegetables. Pata nahi usko yeh saala cancer kaise ho gaya (I don’t how he got this damn cancer).”

Varun Gautam, Irrfan’s friend from his Jaipur days, told me that in the last few years the actor had gotten very busy with his work and it was hard to connect and spend time with him. “My Irrfan was lost in a jungle for the past couple of years,” he says, with tears welling up in his eyes. “Mera Irrfan badal gaya tha. (My Irrfan had changed.) He was not the Irrfan I knew. Irrfan’s real happiness is in flying kites and thinking, spending time in his farmhouse [in Nasik], watching a good film, listening to a song.”

“He was not just busy but he was losing himself,” Varun says. “The work took more of his time, more travelling, less sleep and yet he was making more money. He recently told me that he had forgotten he hadn’t come here to earn money.” Varun learned about Irrfan’s illness when one day he received a phone call from Sutapa. This was sometime before Irrfan officially announced his illness. “She said doctors had found some spots inside him,” he recalls. “Then she said, ‘You have always seen good things in his future. I hope nothing fatal will happen.’ So I assured her that he would be okay. Even if the doctors are concerned, he will still stay alive. He’s not going to die. I have been very confident that he will be okay.”

For a couple of months after Irrfan left for his treatment, there was near silence from his end. And then he spoke to a couple of journalists. Much of the interviews were focused on this new phase in his life. He was reflecting on all the good he had experienced in his life and seemed to be accepting whatever the future had in store for him.

Friends of Irrfan I interviewed, people who had met him in London, all seemed to suggest how positive he was about life in general. Shailja Kejriwal told me that in between treatment, Irrfan and Sutapa would sometimes go to cafes in London and even occasionally go watch plays.

Tigmanshu Dhulia told me that Irrfan had been responding well to the treatment and his weight loss was under control. But perhaps the most encouraging news about Irrfan I heard was from Sudhir Mishra. Late in August 2018, I met Sudhir in Delhi to talk about this book. He said that he had heard that Irrfan had recently been given the narration of “Hindi Medium 2” (now referred to as Angrezi Medium and directed by Homi Adajania).

That was the first clear indication that Irrfan was getting better and he was planning to be back to work in films. Angrezi Medium is set to be released in early 2020.

Irrfan and Sutapa were back in India in early 2019, much to the relief of his fans and just about everyone in the Hindi film industry. When he returned from London, there were speculations that he would still take some time to recuperate. But Irrfan’s desire to get back to work and, of course, the film’s schedule, took him to Udaipur to shoot Angrezi Medium, his first project after nearly a year. His cancer treatment was done and reports indicated he had been given a clean chit by his doctors.

But extra care was taken while he was on the set — from breaks he had to take to regain energy, to a quieter residential stay, away from five-star hotels that he found noisy and the special organic foods flown in for him from Mumbai. After Angrezi Medium’s London schedule, Irrfan spent some time in the city with his family. Reports indicated that he was on a private holiday. Later in September the paparazzi tracked Irrfan at Mumbai airport. He was being pushed in a wheelchair, while he had covered his face.

A different kind of warrior

It will take Irrfan a while to get back to normal life. But Irrfan’s magic as a performer on-screen is there for us to see and appreciate. He has already given us such a treasure trove of performances that should be revisited time and again. Even when we know how an older film of his will shape up, it is pure joy to watch and understand how this man acts, how he continues to surprise his directors, co-actors and, of course, the audience.

His friend and director Anup Singh refers to the secrets that Irrfan carries with him that he slowly reveals as he acts before the camera. For instance, in a scene that requires anger and confrontation with another character, most actors would finish off their enemy with a stroke. They would express anger by shouting or come up with a big gesture and finish off their task. But Irrfan is a different kind of warrior, according to Anup, who actually enjoys the kill.

“You might not even feel his first blow,” Anup adds. “You then realise that you are bleeding, and he will probe into the bleeding, the wound, go deeper and deeper. And then finally he will pull your heart out.”

So Irrfan’s greatest quality as an actor is that he never reveals all his cards at once, but he slowly gives you small tastes of what his entire performance will be like. There is no readymade idea about Irrfan’s character that is revealed to us. Instead, his gestures, look, postures, every breath he takes construct the character and all of it before our eyes. By the time he speaks his first few words, you begin to sense the rhythm of the performance. That is the beauty of Irrfan, the actor. He brings a certain musicality in his performance.

In his finest performances, aided by good writing, and strong direction, it is never easy to say what kind of a character he is. One can never typecast an actor like Irrfan. In films like Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, No Bed of Roses, Maqbool or even The Lunchbox, where his Saajan breaks Ila’s (Nimrat Kaur) heart by not meeting her at the planned date, Irrfan informs us not to dislike his characters, but to understand their circumstances, their limitations and the reasons behind their actions. Instead, he always brings out the humanity of his characters. We sympathise with them even when, on the surface, their actions may not be good.

It is this quality of Irrfan Khan, the actor — the best we have — that makes him stand apart from his peers. A quality that we should cherish and celebrate.

When Vipin Sharma had first visited Irrfan’s hospital room in London, the actor and his wife were not there. The receptionist informed him that Irrfan and Sutapa had stepped out to get coffee. “On the bed I saw a book by Rumi lying open, upside down. I will never forget that image. I wish I had taken a photograph of that. I felt very good. The Rumi book was upside down and I realised, this is Irrfan. It is the ‘Rumi’ state of mind that has taken Irrfan through the toughest and the most uncertain period of his life, and perhaps these words, from the 13th century Persian poet’s poem, “Life and Death”, are of special significance:

why talk about all the known and the unknown see how the unknown merges into the known why think separately of this life and the next when one is born from the last

Excerpted with permission from Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star.

Published by Rupa Books

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 5, 2017)

National Award-winning actor Irrfan Khan, who has consistently delivered critically acclaimed performances, both in Bollywood and on the global platform, added another feather to his versatile cap when he turned a fashion designer. He worked closely with the film’s stylist Maria Tharakkan and sought inputs from wife Sutapa Sikdar, who is a co-producer on the film with close friend Shailja Kejriwal.

He also picked up colourful dhotis, patchwork shirts and quirky jewellery for his turn as a yogi in Tanuja Chandra’s upcoming romcom, Qarib Qarib Singlle. Irrfan was keen to add his own palette of designs to the character. “It’s a slice-of-life travelogue shot in Rajasthan, Delhi, Rishikesh and Gangtok. From shooting against the backdrop of the ‘Fairy Queen’ — the oldest running steam engine in India dating back to 1855 — to accessorizing his look with a chic hat and sunglasses which he picked up en route Rewari and spending time with the locals in Gangtok, Irrfan thoroughly enjoyed the shoot,” a source close to the development told Mirror.

The film also marks the Bollywood debut of South actress Parvathy, who bagged the Kerala State Award for Best Actress for her turn in Charlie, opposite Dulquer Salmaan. Parvathy and Irrfan’s love story unravels as the two travel across North India. “The film has a desi adventurous vibe to it. Tanuja, who has directed thrillers like Sangharsh and Dushman in the past, wanted to switch to a fun-loving drama this time,” adds the source.

The film also has a lot of folk influences, with singercomposer Vishal Mishra recording with Chandigarh’s popular Nooran sisters for two tracks, the tentatively titled “Tu Jaan Le Le Meri” and “Khatam Kahani”. “The songs required folk musicians and Vishal brought on board two visually impaired musicians — a percussionist and a harmonium player. Both of them are so talented that it took them just one take to get it right. The score is going to be as unique and surprising as Irrfan’s new look,” the source signs off.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 24, 2016)


At A time when Indian television was all about saas bahu sagas, Shailja Kejriwal, creative head of Zee, introduced Pakistani artistes Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Imran Abbas to the small screen audience with a string of popular soaps from across the border. Soon after, the trio broke into Bollywood's big league.

Three days ago, when an anti-Fawad blogpost went viral on social media, hitlist caught up with Shailja, who strives to bring the two countries closer culturally while the political air remains tense. She had said, "I don't think people look at art as Indian or Pakistani. There is no politics involved in appreciating stories that touch you on a personal level."

She says Fawad became an instant sensation and Karan Johar's mother, Hiroo Johar, was hooked to his shows. "I am sure she likes him as much as Ranbir Kapoor. I don't think anyone thinks about them as Pakistani or Indian. Today, it is gratifying to see both artistes in the same film (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil). This is the mainstream acceptance I sought.

In the hit Indian film Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Salman risks his life to take a little girl home to Pakistan. I am elated that Karan, Shah Rukh Khan (co-producer of Raees) and Salman are fearlessly taking on actors and subjects like these. They are leading the way. People on both sides of the border are applauding this. We should put our brains to good use and stop bloodshed."