Film star Fawad Khan recently opened up about navigating the Indian film industry's “politics” and his preference for a low-key approach in a conversation with his friend and actor Ahmad Ali Butt.
Fawad debuted in Bollywood in 2014 with the film 'Khoobsurat', but later fell victim to an Indo-Pak artist ban. Before his big crossover, he was already one of the most popular faces on both TV and film in his home country.
On the podcast "Excuse Me with Ahmad Ali Butt", Khan discussed the love he received from Indian fans while acknowledging the industry's power dynamics. He maintained that it was easier to "combat" the politics in the Pakistani film industry than in India.
On facing potential career roadblocks, Khan dismissed speculation of being seen as a "threat" to established actors.
Butt asked: “You’ve made a lot of friends in India and you worked with many people there. But it came to a point where you were being compared to the big names, the big dogs. Did it piss off a lot of people over there? Ali Zafar, Mahira Khan and you created a dent there. You three were being offered major lead roles in one of the biggest industries in the world. Do you think that happened too soon or quick for you in order for you to become a threat?”
To this, Fawad responded, "How would I know, man?"
However, when probed further, he did acknowledge the industry's "heavy" political atmosphere, comparing it to the more familiar terrain of Pakistani film.
"I got a lot of love from India. But look, every industry has its politics. In Pakistan as well. But it’s easier to combat the politics in your industry because it is your own. I’m not saying it (the industry politics) is unheard of, I’m sure it happens everywhere. But there was one thing, if I talk about threat or no threat – I had PRs, and they used to get angry at this… I was like, ‘I need you to take out my name, not put it in there’. I would ask my PR, 'You are here just to remove me from places, not put me'."
He further said his manager, who was also his good friend, would tell him he didn't know how the world worked. "I said, 'I don't want to do Instagram, Facebook, I don't want to do all these things.' But she would say 'That is the norm!'”
In this first part of the interview aired a few days ago, Fawad had also mentioned how he got into singing just accidentally, as was the case with his acting career. "I'm an accidental actor," he told Butt.
He also shared he did not want to do the hit serial 'Humsafar' as he did not agree with the story at the time, but then went ahead and did it just to see what would happen. He did acknowledge the recognition and appreciation the show got him, which was also one of the reasons he was noticed by the Indian filmmakers.
Among other things, Fawad also talked about the EP days, his singing career, family etc.
Khan's Bollywood career, launched in 2014 with "Khoobsurat," included just two other films before the 2016 ban: "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" and "Kapoor & Sons." Despite their success, the political climate effectively halted his Indian ventures.
