Writer-director
Anees
Bazmee
who
delivered
one
of
the
biggest
hits
of
2007,
Welcome,
is
very
angry
and
upset
by
the
fate
of
his
film
in
Pakistam.
Speaking
on
the
subject,
Anees
said,
"I
had
no
clue
my
Welcome
was
to
be
released
in
Pakistan!
Nobody
told
me
anything
about
it…not
even
producer
Feroz
Nadiadwala.
I
guess
once
I
direct
and
deliver
a
film
it's
no
longer
my
intellectual
or
commercial
property.
Fair
enough.
But
what
was
the
harm
if
I
was
told
about
such
a
big
event
in
my
life
as
filmmaker?"
Not
too
many
Indian
films
have
been
released
in
Pakistan.
There
was
Akbar
Khan
Saab's
Taj
Mahal
and
Bhatt
Saab's
Awaraapan.
Both
had
a
connection
with
Pakistan.
Says
Anees,
"Welcome
had
no
relevance
to
people
across
the
border
except
entertainment.
So
yes,
I'd
have
loved
to
be
part
of
its
release
there.
It's
sad
that
I
got
to
know
about
it
through
my
friends
in
Pakistan.
I
agree
I
was
out
of
the
country
working
on
my
script.
But
I
was
just
a
phone
call
away."
What
hurt
and
offended
Anees
even
more
was
that
one
of
his
main
characters
played
by
Feroz
Khan
has
been
totally
obliterated
in
Pakistan.
"I
understand
Feroz
Khan
Saab
had
some
problems
with
the
local
authorities
in
Pakistan
when
he
visited
there
and
made
some
remarks
they
didn't
like.
But
why
should
my
film
suffer
for
that?
His
role
is
very
important
in
Welcome.
He's
there
for
nearly
an
hour
of
the
film's
2-hour
playing
time.
By
cutting
his
track
in
the
plot,
you're
reducing
my
film
to
incoherency!
I
find
that
hard
to
accept."
Ironically,
pirated
DVDs
of
Welcome
with
the
ostensibly
offensive
portions
featuring
Feroz
Khan
flooded
the
Pakistani
market
months
weeks
before
the
film's
official
release
in
the
country.
0,
"I
don't
know
why
I
wasn't
taken
into
confidence
about
the
release,
or
how
the
film
could've
been
re-edited
so
drastically
without
my
consent.
I
understand
distributors
have
their
own
compulsions
and
demands.
But
my
film
can't
be
mutilated
for
political
purposes."
Story first published: Friday, February 22, 2008, 12:07 [IST]