Pakistani actress Veena Malik is controversy's favourite child but it would be unfair to judge the entire country on the basis of what she does in India, actor-singer Ali Zafar says.
"You have to understand that she's an individual and you can't judge the entire community on the basis of one person's behaviour. You shouldn't even judge Pakistan through me. The whole Pakistan is not like Ali Zafar or Veena Malik," Ali told IANS.
"And such individuals are there in very entertainment industry. In India also there are women who ride on controversies. It happens everywhere. It happens even in Hollywood," he added.
Veena came to limelight after her link up with tainted Pakistani bowler Mohammad Asif. She rose to fame in India after appearing in the fourth season of controversial reality show "Bigg Boss".
Ever since she has been making headlines for her alleged link up with her "Bigg Boss" inmate, actor Ashmit Patel, or her sudden disappearance while shooting for the Bollywood movie "Mumbai 125 kilometres".
Ali says he makes sure he doesn't do anything that gives a bad name to his country.
"I pay all my taxes. I make sure all paper work is in place and streamlined. I want to work in a manner so that I stay away from controversies," he said.
"Whatever films I do, I make sure that I don't do scenes or say dialogues or do stuff that could hurt people back home. In my capacity, I try and keep everyone happy but that's just me. Everybody has their own style of working," he added.
For Ali, being controversial is not the best method to boost one's career.
"It's unfortunate...I think one should avoid controversies as long as possible, they may help you in the short run, but I don't think those who are talented need controversies to boost their career," he said.
"It's always good to stay away so that you can work smoothly. You try to stay away from trouble for your own sake and for the sake of other people. I think anybody who comes from there (Pakistan) to here (India) should be cautious and conscious, otherwise it puts others into bad light," he added.
After making a name in his home country with his albums, Ali forayed into Bollywood with debutant director Abhishek Sharma's "Tere Bin Laden" (2010), which won him critical acclaim from all over.
He was later seen in Yash Raj's "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan" and right now he is looking forward to the release of his new Hindi film "London Paris New York", which hits the silver screen March 2.
Anupamaa
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