Fawad Khan to play musician in Shyam Benegal's Indo-Pak film

Amidst the intense strain on Pakistani actors working in Bollywood, Fawad Khan has reportedly signed up for a film project produced by Shyam Benegal.

According to a leading national daily, director Harsh Narayan, who has been working to promote cross-border peace for the past 15 years, has approached the 34-year-old Pakistani actor to star in his upcoming project.

Titled 'Ye Raste Hain Pyar Ke,' the movie will chronicle the journey of two musicians who will tour the two warring countries during which they will discover themselves.

The Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association or the IMPPA earlier issued a temporary ban on Pakistani artistes working in Indian Cinema in the wake of the killing of 19 Indian soldiers during the Uri terror attack.

Saying there could not be a better time to put out a film that "explores love and peace and promotes humanity," Narayan notes some of the best works written during the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

These works include Saadat Hasan Manto's 'Toba Tek Singh' and Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem, 'Black-Out.'

"Faiz composed poems in which he spoke lovingly about his land and its long-suffering people, their hopes and fears, joys and sorrows. I'm trying to capture that feeling through my film," he said in a statement.

Speaking on the film, Benegal asserted, "People called me mad when I was making Ankur! I have found another mad-creative filmmaker in Harsh. He is capable, hard-working and can take on all the creative responsibilities necessary in making this film."

Notably, the announcement came at a time when movies like 'Raees' and 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' starring Pakistani actors are already facing a threat.