Shailja Kejriwal Advocates for Open Collaboration with Pakistani Artists

In a new interview with an Indian media outlet, seasoned writer and film producer, Shailja Kejriwal, who serves as chief creative officer of Zee Entertainment’s Zindagi channel, spoke about the ban on Pakistani artists in India, following the Uri attack, and urged for a ‘more open and inclusive’ approach for the industry to flourish.

“My ultimate desire, I don’t know whether it will happen or not, is that we collaborate… writers and artists from both sides should be on a set together,” she said. “I am trying to follow that path. Hopefully, we will be able to do something because we flourish more if we are open and inclusive.”

For the unversed, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) and the Film Producers Guild of India banned artists from Pakistan from working in their country after the relations between neighboring countries deteriorated, following the Uri attack in 2016.

However, with the launch of Zindagi’s YouTube channel, and Zee5’s streaming app, Kejriwal played her part in promoting cross-border collaborations, by producing exclusive projects for the channel, which are directed by Pakistani directors, and stars artists from both countries.

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Apart from streaming some of the classics churned out by the Pakistani drama industry, including ‘Thakan’, ‘Shukk’, ‘Pyarey Afzal, ‘Meri Beti’, ‘Mere Harjai’ and ‘Main Bushra’ among others, the channel produced hits like ‘Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam’, ‘Churails’, ‘Mrs. & Mr. Shameem’ and very recently, Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed’s ‘Barzakh’.

“I felt my work would be incomplete if I didn’t have a role in bringing these artists back,” she added. “My ambition is to go a step further from pan India… Why can’t it be South Asians and Asians.”