Actor Shahnawaz Pradhan, who portrays JuD chief Hafiz Saeed in Phantom, is being kept underground for security reasons. The film has already been banned in Pakistan.
The Kabir Khan-directed film, which also features actors Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, has been banned in Pakistan by the Lahore high court after a petition was filed by Hafiz Saeed who is accused of masterminding the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Therefore the makers of the film have taken precautionary measures and are keeping Shahnawaz Pradhan underground.
“The security of all our actors is extremely important for us and now that his identity is revealed, there are precautionary measures being taken,” the film’s spokesperson said in a statement.
Phantom is an adaptation of S Hussain Zaidi’s novel Mumbai Avengers. It is set five years after the attacks, when a retired army officer spearheads a covert mission to seek out and kill the terror masterminds.
The film releases today.
