Hrithik Roshan addresses alleged propaganda against Pakistan in "Fighter"

Writer: Heidi Hsia

Hrithik Roshan stars as Patty aka Squadron Leader Shamsher Pathania

1 Feb – Hrithik Roshan has finally addressed the controversy and backlash against his new movie, "Fighter".

Or at least he seemed to attempt to address it.

The movie, which depicts the retaliatory strike by the Indian Air Force following the 2019 Pulwama attack, recently went viral online, after several netizens blasted it for its alleged aggressive anti-Pakistan tone and dialogues.

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The actor wants peace, not war

This includes Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui, who posted, "Once celebrated for love, Bollywood now crafts hate-filled narratives, portraying us as villains. Despite our love for your films, it's disheartening. Art transcends boundaries; let's use it to promote love and peace. Two nations, victims of politics, deserve better."

In response to the backlash, Hrithik said in an interview that he believes that his fans and audiences are more evolved and don't need such lines, but that it is a weight that he bears.

Hrithik bears the weight

"As an actor, I do not cross any lines. At the same time, I admire that Sid (Siddharth Anand) is a very, very headstrong filmmaker. It is his conviction. Sometimes you see somebody that convinced and it kind of breaks your heart to power down and say no. I also bear the weight of that because finally it is my face," he said.

"But I am very, very happy that it has landed as entertainment and nothing more than that. I am really relieved about that. Having said that, I still bear the weight."

However, netizens weren't having it, with one TikTok user saying, "He basically said a bunch of nothing."

Another posted, "So Hrithik has put the blame of this shallow movie on the filmmaker."

Of course the hero has his wingmen