Soon after the ban imposed on Pakistani actors took its effect, reports surfaced that producer-director Karan Johar was asked to alter the plot of the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and make it Pakistan-free. In the film, actors Anushka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan play the role two Pakistani women. According to reports, Karan Johar has obliged to the request and will be changing the nationality of the two female leads mere weeks before its release.
It had also been rumoured that Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s portion would also be altered. In an unconfirmed report, the DNA revealed that Johar was even looking into photoshopping Saif Ali Khan’s face onto Fawad’s. Anyway, it was this report that really did the trick and without losing a breath, the internet delivered what the nation demanded.
YouTube user Sumit Purohit stepped up to take the responsibility to remove Fawad from the film. And, apparently, he deemed Gajendra Chauhan a better fit as a replacement for him. A video titled Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Film Banana uploaded by Purohit featured Chauhan’s face photoshopped over Fawad’s face in the supposed, refined trailer for the film. The video has since gone viral.
The uploader said, “Fawad Khan has been digitally replaced from Ae Dil by the heartthrob of the nation, Gajendra Chauhan. Please watch the film now. Peace be upon us.”
Earlier, Gajendra Chauhan, who is the chairperson of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) had posed a demand that Pakistan artistes be denied visas in the country after the terror attacks in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir where militants stormed an army camp and killed 19 Indian Army soldiers.
Following the attack, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had demanded Pakistani actors to leave the nation and the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) had imposed a complete ban on Pakistan artistes.
