While there were a number of Bollywood actors, filmmakers and singers who came out in support of Pakistani artists in the wake of the Shiv Sena controversy, there were some who took it as an opportunity to rant against cross-border exchange and spew venom against Pakistani artists. One such individual was singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya of ‘Ole Ole’ fame from the Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar-starrer Yeh Dillagi. The singer, who has recently been booked for sexually harassing a woman, took out his frustration on Twitter calling Ghulam Ali a ‘dengue artist’ and saying that Pakistani artists have no merit whatsoever to perform in India.
In a recent interview, singer Javed Bashir, the former lead vocalist for Meekal Hasan Band, broke his silence on Abhijeet’s harsh comments. “I want to tell Abhijeet that he is a good artist, but he needs to understand that an artist should not speak against another artist. Unka sirf sur ka rishta hota hai aapas mein,” he said. Speaking further on the repeated attempts of Shiv Sena members to end cultural ties between Pakistan and India, Bashir added, “Music has no boundary, no religion and it needs no visas. Breaking cultural ties only hurts people who eat, sleep and drink art and music. Artists should not be dragged into politics. Aaj se 40 saal pehle bhi Ghulam Ali sahab ne perform kiya hai aur aap aaj iss baat pe politics kar rahe ho.”
