19 Years of Nazar EXCLUSIVE: Ashmit Patel reveals the Pakistan government rejected his visa application due to his intimate scene with Meera: “It was clearly a message that DON’T kiss our lady”

19 Years of Nazar EXCLUSIVE: Ashmit Patel reveals the Pakistan government rejected his visa application due to his intimate scene with Meera: “It was clearly a message that DON’T kiss our lady”

The supernatural thriller Nazar (2005), starring Ashmit Patel completed 19 years on May 20. The film is memorable as it was the launch vehicle of Pakistani actress Meera in Bollywood. Before the release, the promo of Nazar and the title song featured Meera getting intimate with Ashmit. It led to a lot of brouhaha in Pakistan and kept the film in the news. As Nazar celebrated its 19th anniversary, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke with Ashmit Patel who opened up on this controversial episode.

Ashmit Patel explained how it all began, “We showcased the film at the Kara Film Festival in Karachi, Pakistan. The title song features a little peck on the lips between Meera and me. That became a bone of contention. I don’t know whether it was an India vs Pakistan thing – a Pakistani girl kissing an Indian man – or a Hindu vs Muslim thing – a Muslim girl kissing a Hindu boy. Nothing came out of it except that for the premiere, they rejected my visa application. I couldn’t go!”

When asked to elaborate, Ashmit explained, “During the film’s release, the premiere was held in Pakistan. Everyone went from the film’s team, except for me.”

The move was baffling. By that logic, even the cinematographer should not have been allowed as he was the one who shot the steamy scene. Ashmit Patel emphasized, “They (the Pakistani officials) wanted to make a statement. Disallowing the DOP, who is not at the forefront, would not have made a point. Hence, they rejected my visa which was clearly a message that don’t kiss our lady (laughs)!”

Nazar marked the directorial debut of actress Soni Razdan and was produced by Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt. Mahesh Bhatt was also one of the writers. Besides Ashmit Patel and Meera, Nazar also starred Koel Purie and Neena Gupta. The music was composed by Anu Malik and the title song, sung by KK, had achieved some popularity around the film’s release.

Bhumi Pednekar set to attend Davos 2025 World Economic Forum: “The idea of being a Young Global Leader is to excel in our individual fields”

Bhumi Pednekar set to attend Davos 2025 World Economic Forum: “The idea of being a Young Global Leader is to excel in our individual fields”

Bhumi Pednekar has been inducted by the World Economic Forum to be a part of its Young Global Leaders (YGL) Community: The Class of 2024 for her towering work towards climate change through her non-profit Climate Warrior & The Bhumi Foundation, as well as for her big sustainable entrepreneurship ventures. Bhumi is now set to attend the prestigious Davos 2025 World Economic Forum annual event and represent India.

Bhumi details out her next steps as a YGL for the World Economic Forum saying, “I will definitely be attending the YGL summit in Singapore which will happen this year. I am extremely excited about that, and I really want to attend Davos as well despite my hectic shooting calendar. The idea of being a Young Global Leader is to excel in our individual fields as well. This year is a very busy year for me as an actor, as an entrepreneur and as someone who wants to leave an impact. I really hope that I can be there at Davos and at every platform that requires my voice.”

Earlier this month, the World Economic Forum came out with its list of nearly 90 changemakers under 40 who are shaping the future and accelerating positive change through their groundbreaking work across the fields of public health, economic development, technology and sustainability.

In a statement, the World Economic Forum said the 2024 list is made up of a remarkable group of rising stars from politics, business, civil society, the arts and academia. Besides Bhumi, the list also includes Adwaita Nayar, CEO of Nykaa Fashion; Arjun Bhartia, Director at Jubilant Group; Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director at Vedanta Limited; and Sharad Vivek Sagar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dexterity Global.

For the past two decades, the Forum of Young Global Leaders has been at the forefront of cultivating a unique community of leaders who are dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing problems head-on, according to the World Economic Forum.
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