Ali Zafar: ‘Total Siyappa’ will woo Indians and Pakistanis

Pakistani singer-turned-actor Ali Zafar says audiences in his home country as well as in India will cherish his upcoming romantic comedy, Total Siyappa.

“Whenever we talk about India and Pakistan, people get very sensitive, but this film has balanced it in a very light way. Every person in Pakistan will enjoy the film as much as people in India. The film will bring people closer,” Zafar said on Monday at the launch of the film’s trailer in Mumbai.

Directed by E. Nivas and written by Neeraj Pandey, Total Siyappa is the love story of a Pakistani man (Zafar) and an Indian woman, played by Yami Gautam, who made her debut in Hindi film Vicky Donor.

“Vicky Donor was about a Bengali girl and Punjabi boy. This film has gone cross-border,” said Gautam. “We can’t compare both the films as they are very different,” she said.

In the film, there is a scene where the couple discuss Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, and Zafar is confident that Afridi, one of the most “adored and loved” cricketers, “will hug me” after seeing the film.

“My real fans will perceive it in a right way and everyone will come and watch the film,” added the actor, who debuted in the Bollywood sleeper hit Tere Bin Laden.

Real life couple Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher have been cast as a couple in the romantic comedy, thanks to a conscious effort to bring them together on screen by writer Neeraj Pandey.

“I think they were the right choice for the film and the characters that they play are also husband and wife, which they have never done together. It was important and nice to have them,” Pandey said.