Raees director laments India's ban on Pakistani actors

Rahul Dholakia, the director of Shah Rukh and Mahira Khan starrer Raees, has lamented the ban on Pakistani actors in India.

The filmmaker took to Twitter and spoke about Pakistani-Norwegian filmmaker Iram Haq's What Will People Say that has been submitted by Norway for the 91st Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) for the category of best film in a foreign language.

Dholakia appreciated that the film tells the story of a Pakistani teenager and stars Indian actors.

“Cinema transcends all boundaries,” he tweeted.

“We should learn from them. Instead we ban films with Pakistani actors, conveniently,” the director added.

What Will People Say is the story of 16-year-old Nisha, who is forced to move from Norway to her parents' homeland Pakistan.  Indian actors Adil Hussain and Sheeba Chaddha play the role of Nisha's father and aunt in the film. 

Each country is invited to submit one film for the best foreign film category to the Academy. Among all submissions, five official nominations are to be selected by the Academy's members.

Pakistan has not yet announced its submission for the Oscars.

The 91st Academy Awards will be held on February 24.