New Delhi: Pakistani artist Adeel says he is hurt by the decision of the producer of Jugaad to scrap the film's promotional video featuring him - a move that came in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
"I felt bad because I had worked hard on the song, Kise awaz dun, and the promotional video, which they have scrapped now. I was not even called for the music launch of the movie on January 2," Adeel said.
"I know that I was not invited because of the tension between the two countries, but I still feel bad," said the singer who belted out the popular song, Move your body, in Kismat Konnection.
The strained ties between India and Pakistan following the Nov 26 terror strikes have taken a toll on the entertainment industry. After a huge outcry by the Shiv Sena to ban Pakistani artists from performing on Indian soil, many of them went back to Pakistan, including standup comedians Shakeel Siddiqui and Kashif.
Fingers were pointed at singer-composer Adnan Sami, and even a veteran like ghazal singer Ghulam Ali was stopped from performing in India. Adeel was another casualty.
Sanddeep Kapur, the producer of Jugaad, said: "We had signed Adeel 8-10 months prior to the attacks, but after 26/11, keeping in mind the sentiments of people and the general mood in the country, we decided to scrap the music video and not to give any extra attention to the song Kise awaz dun.
Jugaad stars Manoj Bajpai and is based on the sealing drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi last year.
"Kise awaz dun is a very emotional song and the song is the highlight of my film, but I would rather go with what the people of India have decided. We have incurred a loss of more than Rs 30 lakh. Now we will shoot a new video without Adeel."
Adeel, who is quite popular in his country, feels that dragging artists in such a situation is unfair.
"I love India. In fact, I would say that Mumbai is my second home since I have done a lot of work here. I felt very bad about the attack and I condemn it. But I feel that borders should not confine musicians. They should not be dragged into all this," he said.
So, even after all this, would Adeel want to work in India?
"I still want to keep working in India. Since childhood, I have been a fan of Indian films. The Indian music industry is so big that everybody wants to be a part of it, including me.
"I hope the tensions between the two countries end soon and I can work in the country that I adore so much," Adeel said.
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