In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack which claimed more than 40 lives of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and left many injured, a blanket ban on working with Pakistani artists was demanded. Reacting sharply to it, Salman Khan reportedly decided to replace the song sung by Atif Aslam in the movie Notebook, which he is co-producing. Fans have been heavily demanding the actor to drop songs sung by Pakistani artists in his upcoming movie Bharat as well.
While there is no confirmation if there is any song sung by them in the movie, fans have already assumed the same and hence, the demand. Adding to it, reports suggested that there were songs sung by Pakistani singers in the movie which the makers now have decided to drop quietly without making it very obvious. However, contrary to reports, Pinkvilla has learnt that there was no song sung by Pakistani singers in Bharat for the makers to remove.
A report in Deccan Chronicle quoted a source saying, "This time, Salman knows that he can’t ignore the demand to ban the Pakistani singers. And while he believes the voices of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam suit him best, there are far bigger truths to tackle right now. To cling stubbornly to the unwanted elements for purely selfish reasons would damage his reputation severely. That is a risk he is not willing to take.”