Why this Indian actor wants to visit Pakistan before dying

“I am 65 years old and I want to see Pakistan before I die,” Rishi Kapoor, a Bollywood star of yesteryears tweeted on Sunday.

Kapoor is among a handful of Indian actors actually calling for better relations with Pakistan and this probably has happened for a specific reason. “I want my children to see their roots. Bas karva dijiye (Please make it happen),” he said.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Rishi has a house in Peshawar, Pakistan, which was constructed between 1918 and 1922 by Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, the father of Prithviraj Kapoor, the first member of the family to enter the film industry. The Kapoors shifted to India after India’s partition in 1947.

Kashmir tangle

Earlier, a leading politician in Indian side of Kashmir, and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, had said the part of Kashmir held by Islamabad will remain with Pakistan and this was not going to change.

He said Jammu and Kashmir needed more autonomy and chided those seeking “azadi”.

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Rishi wrote, “Abdullahji, Salaam! Totally agree with you, Sir. Jammu and Kashmir is ours and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is theirs. This is the only way we can solve our problem. Accept it.”

In September this year, another Bollywood star, Ranbir Kapoor, who happens to be the son of Rishi Kapoor, was seen spending time in public space with Pakistani actress Mahira Khan. Incidentally, Mahira was the lead actress in a Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees, which released to full houses earlier this year.