Talk about Indian soldiers, not Pakistani artists, urges Manoj Bajpayee

Breaking silence on Uri attacks and banning Pakistani artists in Bollywood, actor Manoj Bajpayee feels people should be more concerned about Indian soldiers who lost their lives and not films or artists.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee who refrained from voicing his opinion on Uri attacks and the whole issue of banning Pakistani artists in Bollywood, has finally broken his silence. He had earlier said that he would not comment because he doesn’t want any noise around him and it might hamper his daily life and create controversy.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee feels whether to ban Pakistani artists in India or not is a decision that our government should take. (Amal KS /HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

Talking to HT City exclusively, the Satya actor said, “My heart bleeds to see that everyone is worried about films and whether Pakistani artists should be banned or not. I don’t understand why we are even talking about this. Isn’t it the time to think and talk about those army men who lost their lives? And it’s not just 18 soldiers who got killed in Uri, it’s about hundred others who get killed but we never talk about them.”

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Expressing his deepest concern for the soldiers’ families, Bajpayee urges, “Most of them (soldiers who died) were sole breadwinners in their families and our government should do everything possible to support their kids, wives and parents.”

The 47-year-old actor who earlier said that his opinion as an artist did not matter, maintains, “Who am I to comment or take a stand? Will my views on this matter change anything? I don’t know the cross-border policies of India with Pakistan or China or Nepal, so I am not in a position to give a correct comment. This is a totally politically driven agenda and I feel only governments of both the nations can decide the best action in this situation.”

However, Bajpayee feels that we can’t overlook the fact that government has allowed these (Pak) artists to work in India, so it’s their prerogative on take a decision. “If our (Indian) government feels that banning Pakistani artists is the right thing to do, why should we oppose, and if they feel they should continue working here, we should accept that as well,” quips the actor who will be next seen in Saat Uchakkey.

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