In a recent podcast by Pakistan actor and host, Ahmed Ali Butt, singer-actor Ali Zafar shared his musical and acting journey in Pakistan and India and highlighted how he values love and respect he got from the Indian audience, and does not, to this day, let a small part of the huge audience let their negativity marr his experience across border.
Zafar, who enjoys an illustrious career in music and acting fraternities in the Pakistani entertainment fraternity with a number of commercially successful films and a plethora of music tracks that went on to become cult classics, also enjoys the position of one of the few Pakistani stars who made it big in Bollywood. Having worked in multiple films and lending his voice for many songs, the Jhoom singer has been successful across border.
Zafar debuted in Tere Bin Laden for which he was nominated for the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award 2010. He then went on to work in multiple films opposite Katrina Kaif, Ranveer Singh, Taapsee Pannu, Imran Khan, Yami Gautam, Alia Bhatt, and Shah Rukh Khan.
While Pakistani actors no longer work in Bollywood due to differences between the neighbouring countries’ governments, Zafar believes that looking at the brighter side is better.
In his podcast, Butt started off how Pakistani music industry at the time was witnessing the emergence of talented stars with promising careers.
“That was a game changer,” Butt remarked as they discussed the news of Zafar working in an Indian film at that time. Butt commented that India opened doors for Pakistani stars but Zafar was the “first one” who was offered a film with a main lead character.
“Indian media is quite ruthless as compared to ours,” Butt said, “They don’t spare their own, but you smartly played and remained cool,” he added.
“How did you manage to steer clear of all the negativity?” Butt asked Zafar on his experience with Indian tabloids.
“If you respond to negativity, it grows,” Zafar commented. “Everything you put your energy in, it expands. It’s best not to respond to it, unless you’ve been put in a situation where you have to respond to it,” he opined.
“Every adversity comes with its opportunity,” Zafar said while talking about not being able to work in India anymore.
