Karan
Johar"s
former
assistant
and
associate
Nikhil
Advani
is
caught
in
a
huge
dilemma.
Seeing
the
trouble
that
has
been
created
by
Shahrukh
Khan"s
innocuous
patently
apolitical
statement
that
Pakistan
players
should
not
be
precluded
from
the
IPL
package,
Nikhil,
whose
underproduction
film
Patiala
House
has
cricket
at
its
backdrop,
wonders
if
the
inclusion
of
Pakistani
cricketers
as
planned,
makes
any
political
and
business
sense.
Says
a
source
close
to
Patiala
House,
“On
one
hand,
Nikhil
is
being
advised
to
drop
the
proposed
Pakistani
cricket
players
from
his
film.
On
the
other
hand,
Nikhil
feels
dropping
the
players
from
across
the
border
from
his
film
would
be
tantamount
to
playing
into
the
hands
that
caused
all
these
unwanted
problems
for
Karan
Johar.
If
Nikhil
succumbs
to
pressures
to
drop
the
Pakistani
cricketers
who
are
to
shoot
with
Akshay
Kumar,
he
feels
he"d
be
letting
down
his
mentor
Karan."
The
dilemma
is
pretty
much
solved
in
Nikhil"s
mind.
Now
he
needs
to
carry
along
with
the
financiers
and
distributors
of
Patiala
House.
Says
Nikhil,
“Basically
we
need
to
see
which
way
the
IPL
matches
go.
As
far
as
cricket
in
India
is
concerned
the
IPL
matches
determine
the
stakes.
Having
said
that,
let
me
state
I"ve
no
intentions
of
changing
my
mind
about
the
inclusion
of
Pakistani
cricketers
in
my
film,
just
because
of
the
trouble
that
has
happened."
In
fact
the
agitation
against
Shahrukh
Khan"s
statement
has
made
Nikhil
more
determined
than
ever
to
not
change
his
plans.
However
he
admits
there"re
tremendous
pressures
on
him
to
change
plans
of
Pakistani
inclusion
in
the
film.
Says
Nikhil,
“As
of
now,
the
Pakistani
cricket
players,
are
in
my
film.
We"re
in
the
process
of
drawing
up
a
list
of
who
are
included."
The
director
who
was
an
apprentice
under
Karan
Johar
says
he
has
been
in
touch
with
Karan
all
through
his
troubles
with
the
Shiv
Sena.
Says
Nikhil,
“I
sent
Karan
a
long
sms
saying
I"m
with
him.
I
don"t
think
politics
and
cinema
should
be
mixed.
As
far
as
I"m
concerned
the
players
from
Pakistan
are
most
welcome
in
my
film."