Filmmaker had to finally shoot the sequence for his film My Name is Khan in a set built in Andheri; also had trouble finding an actor to play a fundamentalist
Filmmaker had to finally shoot the sequence for his film My Name is Khan in a set built in Andheri; also had trouble finding an actor to play a fundamentalist
Katrina Kaif came under fire for wearing a short dress at Ajmer Shareef. Then there was a controversy
ADVERTISEMENT
surrounding a Sania Mirza commercial that was shot in a mosque in Hyderabad, two years ago. Karan Johar, who is making a film on the alienation of the working class Muslim after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, faced a similar problem.
He also had a tough time getting an actor to play an Islamic fundamentalist cleric, Faisal Rahman, in the mosque sequence of his film My name is Khan till he zeroed in on Arif Zakaria.
Arif, who played a eunuch in Kalpana Lajmi's Darmiyaan (1997) over a decade ago, however, found himself without a mosque to shoot in.
Says the actor, "We finally shot the two-day scene with Shah Rukh Khan on the set of a mosque constructed at The Club in Andheri."
Permission to shoot in a real mosque was reportedly denied not only in LA, but in Mumbai as well.
Says Arif, "I don't know if Karan tried to get permission in Mumbai. But we were to shoot in a mosque in Los Angeles and hard as Karan tried to convince the authorities that his film would not propagate anti-social values, he was denied permission."
"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels 
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
