Pakistani Actors Who Refused To Work In Bollywood

Pakistani artists, actors, musicians, comedians and people belonging to other fields of entertainment have worked in India in the past and gradually the trend is growing with every passing year. There are many Pakistanis who have done more work in India this year than they have in Pakistan. Many of the Pakistani actors feel that art does not have boundaries so they can work anywhere they want irrespective of what ties Pakistan has with India. Some of these actors also think that working in Bollywood is a big leap forward especially when they have already proven themselves in Pakistan.

Not everyone thinks like that. There are Pakistani actors who have refused to work in Bollywood even though they were offered big projects. Here is a list of Pakistani actors who refused offers from Bollywood. The list also contains the reasons because of which they refused these offers.
 

Shan Shahid

Shan Shahid is on top of this list because Shan is not one of those actors who refused to work in Bollywood because the offer did not sound good enough. He is also not one of those actors who say that they will work in Bollywood if they get a good project to work in. His way of thinking is totally different. Shan Shahid has said it many times that he does not want to work in India but he wants to make the Pakistani film industry so strong that one day Indians will come and work in Pakistan. A recent example of this is Om Puri working in Pakistan by being part of Actor In Law.Shan Shahid also thinks that Bollywood directors and producers never give Pakistanis the kind of roles which will leave a positive image. Shan Shahid was offered to play the role of the villain in the film “Ghajini” which was a very popular film. Talking about why he refused to work in the film he once said,

“I refused India once. When I read the role, I knew that they needed a new terrorist face and I said no. In Pakistan, I live in people’s hearts. That’s a huge responsibility. I cannot let them down.”

Hamza Ali Abbasi

Many people do not know this but Hamza Ali Abbasi was offered a role in Bollywood film “Baby” which Meekal Zulfiqar accepted after Hamza Ali Abbasi refused to be a part of the film.

In another interview Hamza Ali Abbasi made it clear that he wasn’t one of those actors who were waiting for another offer from Bollywood. He went on to say that he wanted to stay in Pakistan and work for the Pakistani film industry. He said,

“I would rather work on fostering my own industry. I respect actors like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan who are working in India while staying true to their roots but personally, I want to develop professionalism and better pay here rather than go in search of it across the border.”

Now that the relations between Pakistan and India have grown worse Hamza Ali Abbasi urged Pakistanis to stop working in Bollywood.

Hamayun Saeed

Hamayun Saeed has not rejected one but many offers by Bollywood producers. Few years back he might have been uncertain about whether he would work in a Bollywood project or not but now he is very sure that he won’t be working across the border because there is so much he has to do here in Pakistan. In a recent interview he said straight away,

“I am just not interested. I have so much work here as an actor and producer, I really don’t have the time.”

This statement clearly indicates that Hamayun Saeed is not going to work in Bollywood at all because he is enjoying his work in Pakistan.

Faisal Qureshi

In an interview Faisal Qureshi shared that he was offered 2-3 Bollywood films but he refused because the script wasn’t as good as he would have wanted it to be. He also said that he does not want to disappoint his fans. Faisal Qureshi is not one of those actors who don’t want to work in Bollywood but he wants to work only if there is a good project in which he gets a major role to play.

While talking about those actors who have worked across the border he said in one of his interviews,

“People have to make money too. One film in Bollywood pays more than 10 films here. Presently they might be doing what people think are unexciting roles but things will change. It is a start and gives newcomers a hope. When they are sidelined and mistreated on Indian shows, I don’t like it one bit. But how long will they treat them badly and stifle their talent? Our talent has now crossed the borders.”

At the same time Faisal Qureshi is not happy with Pakistani media’s obsession with Bollywood stars. He thinks that the media is more fascinated with Bollywood than with the local industry.

Fahad Mustafa

Fahad Mustafa was offered a Bollywood film back in 2015 by Mahesh Bhatt. He said in one of his chat sessions that he did not even consider the offer because he has much better offers in Pakistan. Later on when Fahad’s films came out, people knew what he was talking about. Fahad Mustafa has never said anything against Bollywood but he is very happy with all the work he is doing in Pakistan and does not feel the need to go there and work.

Sanam Jung

Sanam Jung also revealed in an interview that she was offered a Bollywood film but she told them that she could not do any bold scenes and because of that she could never be a part of Bollywood. Explaining further she said,

“When I said I would not do bold scenes, they replied they could ‘cheat’, but even if they cheat a scene, the audience will think I have done it. So Bollywood is out of the question.”

Sanam Jung does not want to compromise on certain restraints she has put on herself so Bollywood is not on the cards for her.

Fatima Effendi

Fatima Effendi refused to work in Bollywood because of the same reasons Sanam Jung refused to work there. In an interview she revealed,

“Anees Bazmee called me and praised my drama serial and asked me to work in his film. I asked him about the story and the character I’d portray but refused to sign the movie because it required me to play a bold character.”