Saif Ali Khan photographed in Mumbai.
New Delhi:
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan said that he was expecting his upcoming film Phantom, to be banned in Pakistan.
Directed by Kabir Khan, Phantom is set in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. However, Saif said that the film is not against Pakistan.
Phantom has been banned in Pakistan reportedly, by the Lahore high court after a petition was filed by the 26/11 mastermind, Hafiz Saeed.
Saif said that it was "expected".
"Unfortunately, certain films that Pakistan will make, we (India) will ban, and certain films that we make, they will ban. If you don't want to get banned, you have to make other films like Race, which is fair enough because certain political issues are very sensitive between the two countries," Saif told IANS.
"The film is about terrorism and there might be people in Pakistan who are anti-India. It's (the film) not anti-Pakistan, but that's okay. Even Agent Vinod wasn't anti-Pakistan, that got banned," he added. (Also Read: Phantom Banned in Pakistan on Hafiz Saeed's Plea)
When Saif was asked whether Pakistan was an important market for Indian films, he said: "You can make a fair amount of money from that market, so it's bit of a shame. It's not important in terms of - it doesn't dictate what kind of movies we make," he added.
Phantom, which also stars Katrina Kaif, is scheduled to release on August 28.
Directed by Kabir Khan, Phantom is set in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. However, Saif said that the film is not against Pakistan.
Phantom has been banned in Pakistan reportedly, by the Lahore high court after a petition was filed by the 26/11 mastermind, Hafiz Saeed.
Saif said that it was "expected".
"Unfortunately, certain films that Pakistan will make, we (India) will ban, and certain films that we make, they will ban. If you don't want to get banned, you have to make other films like Race, which is fair enough because certain political issues are very sensitive between the two countries," Saif told IANS.
"The film is about terrorism and there might be people in Pakistan who are anti-India. It's (the film) not anti-Pakistan, but that's okay. Even Agent Vinod wasn't anti-Pakistan, that got banned," he added. (Also Read: Phantom Banned in Pakistan on Hafiz Saeed's Plea)
When Saif was asked whether Pakistan was an important market for Indian films, he said: "You can make a fair amount of money from that market, so it's bit of a shame. It's not important in terms of - it doesn't dictate what kind of movies we make," he added.
Phantom, which also stars Katrina Kaif, is scheduled to release on August 28.
