Is Karan Johar Giving In To Bullying?

The Diwali release of Karan Johar's latest film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' is under a cloud. Controversy around a Pakistani actor playing a lead role in the film reached fever pitch with the right wing politicians and parties calling for a ban on them in Bollywood, threatening to enforce a boycott when it is released. After two weeks of silence over it, Karan Johar issued a statement in which he pledged not to work with Pakistani actors, and appealed to let the release of his film go through on schedule. As patriotism finds itself in a head on battle with the freedom of speech, voices calling for a separation between statecraft and civil society are increasingly falling silent, and in Bollywood where the stakes are high - worth crores and crores of rupees - Karan Johar's capitulation to bullying is a turning point. Should he have issued that statement? And will it help the film's release or indeed the cause of cinema? And just to clarify, there is no official ban on Pakistani actors, no change in the visa policy towards them by the Indian government.