Leading Pakistani television actress and model Ushna Shah has expressed her distress over Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming project on Heeramandi.
The Alif, Allah Aur Insaan famed actress, who has been quite vocal on the subject, went on to elaborate why a series about Lahore courtesans should be made by Pakistani filmmakers.
Turning to her Twitter handle on Thursday, the Bashar Momin starlet tweeted, "Not a single Netflix original has been made by Pakistan. Heera-Mandi was what is present day inner city Lahore.”
“Like I said, India has a plethora of rich culture & history to film. Today, Mughal history mostly falls into Pakistan’s domain, language/some geography. We needed this," lamented Shah.
In a follow-up Tweet, the Bandhay Aik Dor Se actress stressed why this could have been an important project for Pakistan. "Also.. it isn’t about permission. Banaanay koh toh they can make anything. Of course it was all India once. But if the little history that leans towards Pakistani culture/language/city is also commissioned to India to make what historical film will Pakistan make?" she raised her concerns.
Previously, Shah expressed her concerns on a news post about the series made by the Padmaavat director on Instagram, writing, “Netflix doesn’t fund original projects for Pakistan. This is an opportunity taken away from Pakistani directors and filmmakers. Collaboration is one thing but this is appropriation."
On the work front, Shah is receiving massive praise and popularity for her performance in on-going drama serials Parizad and Aakhir Kab Tak.
