NEW DELHI: That Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rightwing supporters have included many from the film industry in Mumbai was underscored on Tuesday when some of them slammed actor Aamir Khan’s criticism of intolerance in the country.
Celebrities Anupam Kher, Ramgopal Varma and Raveena Tandon roundly criticised superstar Aamir Khan for his remarks made on Monday.
The 50-year-old actor had provoked sharp reactions on Twitter with his industry colleagues asking “When did ‘Incredible India’ become ‘Intolerant India’ for you”.
Aamir, during an appearance at an award function here on Monday evening, had said he was ‘alarmed’ by a number of incidents and his wife Kiran Rao even suggested that they should leave the country.
Kher, who shared screen space with Aamir in Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin among others, hit out at him saying: “India has made him what he is.
“Dear @aamir_khan. Did you ask Kiran which country would she like to move out to? Did you tell her that this country has made you AAMIR KHAN. Did you tell Kiran that you have lived through more worse times in this country but you never thought of moving out,” he posted on Twitter.
Taking a dig at Aamir’s ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ campaign and his popular TV show “Satyamev Jayate”, Kher, who has emerged as a star supporter of Modi, added: “Dear @aamir_khan. When did ‘Incredible India’ become ‘Intolerant India’ for you? Only in the last 7-8 months?”
Press Trust of India said Varma, who directed Aamir in Rangeela, wrote: “Some celebs complaining about intolerance should be the last ones to complain because they became celebs in a so-called intolerant country.
“Compared to any country India is the most tolerant and if some people are unhappy here also they should tell which country they will go to.”
Rishi Kapoor wrote: “Mr & Mrs Aamir Khan. When things are going wrong and the system needs correction, repair it, mend it. Don’t run away from it. That is Heroism!”
Actor Paresh Rawal said if Aamir believes it is his “motherland then he will never talk about leaving it”.
“Aamir is a fighter so he should not leave but change the situation in the country! Jeena yahan marna yahan! A true patriot will not run away and leave his motherland behind in turmoil or in troubled times (if any)... Don’t escape — build it...,” Rawal, who acted with him in Andaz Apna Apna and Akele Hum Akele Tum, posted.
Raveena Tandon, without taking Aamir’s name, tweeted: “Guess all those who did not want pm Modi to become PM, want 2 bring this govt down... sadly becoz of politics, they are shaming country.
“Really — have the guts to say it openly, instead of dragging the whole country’s image down, I don’t have a problem with any form of protest. But when it comes to respecting your nation and what it has done for you?? Before that ask yourself...What have you done for the nation?,” she tweeted.
Aamir on Monday supported those returning their awards, saying one of the ways for creative people to express their dissatisfaction or disappointment was to return their awards.
“As an individual, as part of this country as a citizen, we read in the papers what is happening, we see it on the news and certainly, I have been alarmed. I can’t deny. I have been alarmed by a number of incidents,” he said while speaking here at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards.
The actor said he also felt that the sense of insecurity and fear had been growing in the past six or eight months.
“When I chat with Kiran at home, she says ‘Should we move out of India?’ That’s a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day.
“That does indicate that there is this sense of growing disquiet, there is growing despondency apart from alarm. You feel why this is happening, you feel low. That sense does exist in me,” Mr Khan said.
The actor said for any society, it was important to have a sense of security and sense of justice.
Taking potshots at politicians, he said: “People who are our elected representatives, people who we select to look after us for five years, State or centre... when people take law into their hands, we look upon these people to take a strong stance, to make a strong statement, speed up the legal process, when we see that happening there is a sense of security but when we don’t see that happening there is a sense of insecurity.”
Endorsing the move by scientists, writers and filmmakers to return their awards to register their protest against the atmosphere of growing intolerance, he said for creative people it was important to voice what they feel.
“A number of creative people — historians, scientists — increasingly had a certain feeling in them, which they felt they need to express. For creative people, one of the ways of expressing their dissatisfaction or their disappointment is to return their awards. I think that’s one way of getting your point across,” he said.
When asked whether he endorsed the protests by the people, Aamir said he would as long as it is non-violent as “all individuals have a right to protest and they can protest in any manner that they feel is right as long as they are not taking the law into their hands”.
Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2015
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