My biggest achievements aren't international roles: Abrarul Haq

Singer and songwriter Abrarul Haq has crafted the perfect comeback for actor Mishi Khan and her outraged disbelief that he could ever have been offered a Bollywood role. The singer had recently made headlines and sent social media abuzz following the revelation in an interview that he had declined a role with Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif. So amused was Mishi that the actor felt compelled to voice her feelings on her Instagram handle, sardonically calling Abrar’s statement “the joke of the year”. 

“When exactly did you receive this mysterious offer and why have you hidden it from us for so long?” she questioned in her video. “This has to be the joke of the year! Is this what happens to people when they leave their political party?” Not content with just posting a video, Mishi also added an accompanying caption. “Some statements are so hilarious that it’s mandatory to say something,” penned the actor. “Abrarul Haq’s latest statement is hilarious”. Mishi ended her note with a crying-with-laughter emoji. 

It was an attack on his dignity that Abrar was not prepared to take lying down, it seems. Releasing a video statement in Urdu in response, Abrar claimed that Mishi’s shock was a symptom of what she herself classified as achievements. “Yes, I was definitely offered a role in a Bollywood movie with Katrina Kaif playing the role of a Pakistani singer,” clarified Abrar. “And some people made a mockery of what I said, saying that I had gone mad after leaving my political party. I find that really sad.” 

Abrar first made it clear that he had not joined any political party at all, and had taken a step back from politics for personal reasons. He went on to add that fame and making money had never been his main objective. “To me, what is more important is to be remembered for how I helped people and how many hospitals I built, not how many Bollywood roles I got offered,” said the singer-cum-philanthropist. “I have financially helped so many people, but no one ever sees that.”

In Abrar’s view, an offer from Bollywood was not the cause for celebration it might be for others. “Some people may drop dead if they receive a Bollywood offer - how cute are you!” he said, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. “But not me. My biggest achievements are not my international roles. Rather, my biggest achievements are the things I have done to help people.”

Abrar, who is taking a break from his political aspirations, added that he had been performing internationally for several years, and there was no reason he shouldn’t have received an offer from a “neighbour”. However, Abrar insisted that he declined offers from India because after thoroughly examining the contract, he found it did not align with his values. 

“You can’t speak, you can’t talk about Kashmir,” the singer had said earlier when divulging the reasons behind his refusal to work in Bollywood. “I thought a country that believes in freedom of expression shouldn’t say such things. So I didn’t take those roles.” Abrar ended his video by calling out artists who mocked their cohorts online. “Please be mindful of our values and take care not to insult the people of your own country like this,” he warned. “It only makes a mockery of you, not anyone else.”

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