Bilal Abbas Khan, a Pakistani actor stirring controversy in India with his upcoming project, “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas,” set to be released on Zee5 on 26 February 2024.
Bilal Abbas Khan’s past involvement in the ISPR project “Khel Khel Mein” had sparked criticism. Released two years ago, the film was promoting an anti-Hindu narrative, whitewashing the Pakistan Army’s war crimes in present-day Bangladesh while also giving a clean chit to rapists of Bangladeshi women. The film has also been said to have made references to Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian businessman in Pakistani captivity for several years now.
Here is the trailer of the anti-India film Khel Khel Mein.
“Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” includes Nauman Ijaz, recognized for his acting skills but notorious for his radical Islamist views. His talk show, “G Sarkar,” was known for its controversial content, often mocking Indian figures like PM Modi, Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, and Hindu deities and rituals.
The series set to release later this month was shot two years ago, around the same time as the release of “Khel Khel Mein.” Despite the surrounding controversies, the series is expected to premiere on Zee5 later this month.
Meet Bilal Abbas Khan, the new Pakistani heartthrob in India, who has an upcoming project called “Abdullahpur Ka Devdas” lined up with Zee Zindagi.
Two years ago, he acted in the ISPR project “Khel Khel Mein,” an anti-Hindu film whitewashing the Pakistan Army’s war crimes in… pic.twitter.com/6M9zrKxuDN— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) February 6, 2024
This is not the first time such concerns have been raised. Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui, recalling his experience on the set of the Bollywood film “Mom,” remembered preventing fellow actress Sajal Aly from mocking Hindu worship practices. In the video, he says, “It was the first day of shooting. She did a puja. I have never seen a puja live in my life, I was not aware of it at all. Sajal and I were standing there. This was happening on the sets. I was wearing shoes. One of them there gestured me to remvoe my footwear. Sajal and I looked at each other. I did not know what to do (shows how he kept his hands – in Muslim style during namaz or Hindu prayer format of joined hands). Everyone had their hands folded so I did that. I got caught in this and Sajal found it funny, she was laughing and covered her face with the joined hands. I also stopped her from mocking it since it was her first day.”
Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui fondly remembers his first day on the set of Bollywood film “Mom” and how he stopped fellow Pakistani actress Sajal Aly from mocking Hindu way of worship not because Muslims should respect others’ faith but because it was their first day in India. pic.twitter.com/xw8TG1EzKr
— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) August 29, 2022
The decision of Indian production houses to finance projects featuring artists with potentially anti-Hindu sentiments has raised concerns. Many Pakistani actors, who gained popularity in India over the past decade, face criticism for expressing views aligning with the sentiments of Pakistan’s military establishment.
It is noteworthy that Zee Studios was one of the production companies for the anti-Brahmin/anti-Hindu film Annapoorani. Following public backlash, Zee decided to remove the film from Netflix.
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