'Let Dhinchak Pooja re-dub Abida Parveen songs': Quips Twinkle Khanna amid erasure of Pakistani artistes

Twinkle Khanna, known for her razor-sharp wit and unapologetic satire, has taken a bold swipe at the ongoing erasure of Pakistani artistes from Indian entertainment platforms. In her latest column for The Times of India, the former actor and bestselling author commented on the quiet removal of Pakistani actors from film posters and music covers — and delivered her signature satirical punch.

Referring to the re-release of the 2016 romantic drama Sanam Teri Kasam, Khanna wrote, “After the recent re-release of Sanam Teri Kasam, I have been listening to the songs on repeat. While browsing Spotify, I realised actor Mawra Hocane had been edited out from the album cover. Further digging reveals that other Pakistani actors like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan have been similarly erased from their online posters.”

And then came the twist — Khanna’s mock suggestion:
“Not wanting to be left behind in doing my duty as a good citizen, I propose that we get all of Abida Parveen and Farida Khanum’s songs re-dubbed by our very own Dhinchak Pooja. That will really teach the Pakistanis a lesson.”

The satirical jab comes in the wake of rising cross-border tensions following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Since then, cultural retaliation has been swift. Posters of films featuring Pakistani actors — including Kapoor & Sons (Fawad Khan) and Raees (Mahira Khan) — have been modified, and songs featuring them are being scrubbed from Indian platforms.

Khanna’s remarks also indirectly reflect on the recent controversy involving Sanam Teri Kasam co-stars Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane. Rane criticized Hocane for allegedly calling India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ “cowardly” on social media and vowed not to work in the sequel if she was involved.

Hocane responded by accusing Rane of using the controversy as a “PR strategy.” In return, Rane posted a long Instagram story defending his stance:

“I simply offered to step down from Part 2. I am fully within my rights to choose not to work with individuals who label my country's actions as 'cowardly’... An Indian farmer would pluck out the unwanted weed from his crop. It’s called WEEDING.”

Adding to the cultural clampdown, Fawad Khan’s cross-border romantic drama Abir Gulaal, co-starring Vaani Kapoor, has been banned in both India and Pakistan. The film’s songs have also been taken down from YouTube India.