Barely a week after upcoming film Jawani Phir Nehi Aani's (JPNA) latest trailer release, lead actor Hamza Ali Abbasi has posted a status to his Facebook page that distances himself from the film.
Also read: This 'Jawani Phir Nahi Aani' trailer made Hamza Ali Abbasi give up his PTI post
In the post, Hamza says he feels two of JPNA's songs are "very inappropriate and show indecent visuals," and drops the bomb that he might not be part of the film's promotions if those very songs aren't removed: "But I will only be part of promotions if these 2 songs are taken out, otherwise I will refrain from it."
Explaining why he appeared in the film even though he deems some of its content inappropriate, Hamza stated: "I found out abt these songs much later into the shoot of the film and if I backed out, it would have caused a lot of trouble to my best friends, so I had to do it, even though I oppose such things."
Hamza appears in the movie with Humayun Saeed, Ahmad Ali Butt, Vasay Chaudhry, Mehwish Hayat, Suhai Abro, Ayesha Khan, Sarwat Gillani, Javed Sheikh and Bushra Ansari.
Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed, Ahmad Ali Butt and Vasay Chaudhry in a still from the film |
Explaining his post to Dawn.com, Hamza reiterates that he might not be playing a huge role in promoting JPNA, though he denied that this decision would impact his relationship with his co-stars. "We’re all friends," he says, "and they [my co-stars] realize I have nothing against them personally, even if they do staunchly disagree with me."
"I know I'm being branded an attention seeker," he adds, "but there is a line between decent and vulgar, and it's pretty hard to tell what is what, and I think the 100 percent of the fault lies with our censor board."
The outspoken actor has previously defended his statements and opinions, saying "I am an actor, but I mustn’t be barred from speaking on these matters. In order to progress in this society, we need to break these taboos.”
Jawani Phir Nahi Aani has already cost the actor his PTI post, which he resigned from in March.
Let's hope this latest outburst doesn't cost the actor some friends!