Pakistani actor Mikaal Zulfiqar, who worked in Bollywood films revealed in an interview that Bollywood exploits Pakistani actors. He also said that Indian filmmakers don't cast Pakistani actors for notable characters. Mikaal worked with Akshay Kumar in 'Baby' and in 'Shoot on Sight' with Naseeruddin Shah.
It was during an interview on The Knock Knock Show, Mikaal said, "India jo hai hamesha advantage leta hai ek Pakistani actors ka. Ab woh kis tarah leta hai? Somewhere down the line woh apse aisa ek kaam kawayega jisme yeh dikhaya jayega ki yeh ek Pakistani actor aya hai, ya toh the role that you are given is such (India always takes advantage of Pakistani actors, either you are made to do something that shows you are a Pakistani or your role is portrayed in such a way)."
He added, "To be honest, I don't think bohot notable roles woh dete bhi hain, main ab pichle 10-20 saalon ki baat kar raha hoon, jo mera career hai uske hisab se. Usse pehle kya hua mujhe woh nahi pata. And my reason for that is that I don't mind jab tak equal grounds pe liya jaye aur hume uss tareh na portray kiya jaye. It is what we deserve, level-playing field pe hume khada karein. Just to do a supporting role, koi aisi cheeze karna jis se aapkta mazak yahan ude, it is not worth it. So jab level-playing field hoga tab theek hai, other than that we are fine here (As far as what I have seen in my career, I think Pakistani actors are not on an equal footing in Indian films. Just for a supporting role if you are made it do something that will be made fun of in Pakistan, then I am happy to be working only in our films and shows)."
