Anticipation among movie lovers is skyrocketing for Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone-starrer Fighter which is scheduled to release on January 25. Fans flooded social media with appreciation after getting the initial glimpse of the movie in its trailer that dropped recently. However, several Pakistani celebrities have criticised the director and slammed him for ‘spreading hate’.
The high-octane action-packed movie Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone in the lead is set against the backdrop of the Indian Air Force’s airstrike on Pakistan after a terror attack.
However, several Pakistani actors including Hania Aamir and Adnan Siddiqui criticised the movie’s trailer. Reacting to the criticism, helmer Siddarth Anand took to X and wrote, “Didn’t she literally work in a movie which was anti-India? If Indian celebs have no issue with the anti-India stuff Pakistani celebs do in movies, why do Pak celebs care so much?”
Reacting to another person’s Tweet that read, “Was ‘art’ breathing here?” Siddharth wrote “Oh!”
The original Tweet was about the 2018 Pakistani movie Parwaaz Hai Junoon which read, “Parwaaz Hai Junoon was an anti-Indian Air Force movie and Hania Aamir starred in it.”
Agreeing with the post, another user wrote, “Yes, they portrayed Indian Force as villain...”
Here’s what Pak celebs wrote
Soon after the makers dropped the Fighter trailer on January 15, Hania Aamir wrote on her Instagram stories, “So sad and unfortunate to know that there are artists out there in this day and age who are aware of the power that the cinema holds and still go ahead and feed the rift between the two countries. I feel sorry for the artists who try to bridge the gap by trusting their art as a medium. Distasteful; let art breathe.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui, without mentioning the movie’s name, wrote, “Once celebrated for love, Bollywood now crafts hate-filled narratives, portraying us as villains. Despite our love for your films, it’s disheartening. Art transcends boundaries; let’s use it to promote love and peace. Two nations, victims of politics, deserve better.”
Even another Pakistani actor Zara Noor Abbas took to social media and wrote, “Aren’t you guys tired of selling the same false crap?! Grow up, guys! The world is moving on and getting mature but why do you want to sell this cheap story of hatred? Could have also promoted peace. Don’t we have enough hatred in the world that you had to boost more hate through this global medium of movies?”
Fighter’s official trailer streaming on YouTube has been viewed over 39M views and has received massive likes. As per a report, the advance booking of Fighter is going on like a tsunami overseas. It has earned over Rs 5.25 crore+ on the first day.
Produced by Viacom 18 Studios and Marflix Pictures, the movie serves as the first film in a planned aerial action franchise. Apart from Hrithik and Deepika, the movie also stars Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, and Ashutosh Rana among others in pivotal roles.