New Delhi: After branding Bollywood superstar Salman Khan a “chhichhora” (indecent) and claiming she wouldn’t like to work with actor Emraan Haashmi for the fear of mouth cancer, on a TV show, Pakistani actress Saba Qamar has defended her comments as a mere banter.
Saba, who is set to make her Bollywood debut with Irrfan Khan starrer “Hindi Medium”, took a dig at some of India’s cine stars on talk show “Good Morning Zindagi”. An excerpt from the Pakistani show has gone viral on social media — and Saba has been inundated with calls over it.
When IANS contacted Saba, she said over phone: “It was a fun show… There was nothing in it… ‘Koffee With Karan’ mein kya kuchch nahi hota (What all does not happen on ‘Koffee With Karan’)… I love everyone, and he’s (Salman) a big superstar and so humble. Why would I say anything bad about him?”
In the two minute-plus long video, the host asks Saba to say ‘no’ to hypothetical situations involving Hrithik Roshan, Emraan Hashmi, Ranbir Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh and Salman — and state why would she say ‘no’.
When the host asked Saba if Hrithik asked her to marry him, how would she say no, Saba said: “Don’t want a father of two… He is not my cup of tea.”
Next was Bollywood’s ‘serial kisser’ Emraan Hashmi, whom she rejected because she didn’t want “mouth cancer”.
She rejected Riteish because since she is an “A-grade actress” in Pakistan, she would want to work only with other A-grade actors, even in India.
The host then showed a photograph of Ranbir, whom she could not reject.
“‘Of course darling, I am ready for you’,” Saba said looking at the actor’s photograph. But on insistence by the host, she finally turned him down because he “had a ‘chakkar’ (affair) with Indian actress Deepika Padukone.”
Finally, the photograph of Salman was shown, and Saba turned him down for being ‘chhichhora’ (indecent), and for not knowing how to dance.
Saba’s video has appeared during ongoing tension between India and Pakistan after the Uri army camp attack in September last year, and at a time when Pakistani artistes are not being entertained in India due to a ban imposed by certain right-wing outfits.
Saba, who made her acting debut with the PTV Home drama “Main Aurat Hoon” in 2004, is popular for essaying leading roles in hit dramas “Dhoop Mein Andhera Hai”, “Jinnah Ke Naam” and “Uraan”.