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I have no intention of leaving India, I love India: Aamir Khan

I have no intention of leaving India, I love India: Aamir Khan

Following a storm of controversy over his recent remarks, Aamir Khan clarifies his stance in a new statement
25 Nov, 2015

Aamir Khan has come under fire recently for his remark that he and his wife were disheartened by growing intolerance in India, and had talked about potentially leaving India.

In an interview with Anant Goneka the actor had said: "Kiran and I have lived all our lives in India. For the first time, she said, should we move out of India? That’s a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make to me. She fears for her child."

Khan faced immense backlash after these comments, with Anupam Kher, among others, urging him to spread "hope, not fear."

The star has now come forward with a statement which clarifies his stance. According to the Indian Express, the statement says: "First let me state categorically that neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intention of leaving the country. We never did, and nor would we like to in the future. Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying."

But Khan also says that he stands by his previous interview.

"Secondly, I stand by everything that I have said in my interview... to all the people shouting obscenities at me for speaking my heart out, it saddens me to say you are only proving my point."

He closed his statement with a poem by Rabindranath Tagore.

Strong words from Aamir Khan — but are they enough to woo his detractors?

Comments

Harmony-1© Nov 25, 2015 05:50pm
...and yet some people are bent upon him leaving India...intolerance has come to this, asking their own citizens to leave! This is not patriotism; this is false pride and delusion...much more dangerous!
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lafanga Nov 25, 2015 05:55pm
So the threats and intimidation has brought another Muslim celebrity to tow the official line. Intolerant and insecure India.
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Iftikhar Husain Nov 25, 2015 05:59pm
He wants to live in India but his wife is not very happy with the present situation.
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INDIAN Nov 25, 2015 06:00pm
Proud of you Aamir bhai I stand with you
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wellwisher Nov 25, 2015 06:12pm
well said.Fact is he won't go to Pakistan,Syria,Turkey,Egypt or any muslim majority country.UK/US/Australia/Canada/EU etc may not take him, or if taken he will face serious discrimination for obvious reasons.
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Arshad Hussain Nov 25, 2015 06:19pm
Dear Amir Khan. We Pakistani know that This is not you intention. But we know that You are in Tension.
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naxalite Nov 25, 2015 06:20pm
Yes Why would he leave India , he is nobody outside but a great star in India, Pakistan actors would give up anything to achieve that kind of fame and success.
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Salman Khan Nov 25, 2015 06:21pm
Poor guy, has to say it to live peacefully in India.
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ROHIT PANDEY Nov 25, 2015 06:24pm
Aamir Khan endorses " Snapdeal" a hugely successful on-line shopping website. Snapdeal was quick to distance itself from Aamir Khan's statements, after a move to "appwapsi"- giving the app a low rating, by customers started to bite. And, quickly, our hero changed his tune - Snapdeal pays him MILLIONS to endorse. From politics and social reformer to one guarding his pocket book!!:) Happens!:):)
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Nabarun Dey Nov 25, 2015 06:27pm
Satyameva Jayate. Truth must prevail.
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Ali Nov 25, 2015 06:28pm
Thank you Jinnah!
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Changez_Khan Nov 25, 2015 06:46pm
Excellent. Do not let Shiv Sena the extremist party succeed in its propagandas against Muslims in India.
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Angry Rottweiler Nov 25, 2015 06:57pm
Then how come you say she considered moving out of India... please at least stand by your words... we are ok you leaving country, cuz no patriot will allow other guy to insult his mother land... irrespective of any religion..
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GiantAsian Nov 25, 2015 06:58pm
He should learn to talk in interview. We are the Indians who made you amir Khan but feel sad for your words.. I hope you stay in west for few years to know what exactly intolerance is.
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Naxalite Nov 25, 2015 07:00pm
I hope he lives peacefully in India. He deserves to be.
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Vangeepuram Satakopan Nov 25, 2015 07:01pm
Of course, he won't leave. His bread and butter is in India.
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salim langra Nov 25, 2015 07:12pm
Well said. You have all the right to express your feelings, and you needn't fear any body. There was nothing harsh, provocative or communal in what you said. Compare that to the response you got. Your views stand vindicated. Fellow Indian salutes you..
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Sanjeev Tyagi Nov 25, 2015 07:15pm
I completely agree with Amir. In my tolerant India everyone has right to speak from his/her heart. Our patriotism for our motherland is not so weak that a negative comment about India will enrage us. If there is a negative comment from an Indian, the only thing it requires is introspection.....not outrage.
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narvinnie Nov 25, 2015 07:43pm
People in our country need to understand that just like them Aamir has the right to say what he needs to say. Hate mongers need to read the substance first before making any statements. . Aamir has always come against social injustice so why are people afraid if he told the truth now. Shame on people who make comments before even understanding what he said or what he meant.
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Khan Nov 25, 2015 07:48pm
No human become immigrant of any country legal or illegal....
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ailly Nov 25, 2015 07:52pm
if AK and his wife's hearts are heartened, why such commotion and anxiety ?. there are others too, about 20 crore Muslims in India who are feeling same, what about their plight and dignity ?. only a celebrity can feel the pain and get disheartened ?. besides gender discrimination now a bias is developing about "feelings" that you should not disclose same... only in India.
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Srehman Nov 25, 2015 08:05pm
Shame on the people who are spewing venom against amir Khan for MERELY pointing out few things ...
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fahimuel Nov 25, 2015 08:14pm
Hats off to Amir khan for standing up against the odds. Intolerance in any form must be defeated from every part of the world including India as well as Pak.
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Qamar Valliani Nov 25, 2015 08:15pm
Adnan Sami, this will be your future.,
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Fried Chillies Nov 25, 2015 08:24pm
No lesson learnt. You expressed your views and exercised your freedom of speech. The people responded and exercised theirs, but seems like you did not like the response. Too bad
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Bokhari Nov 25, 2015 08:35pm
Now he loves India!
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AK Nov 25, 2015 08:45pm
Sir, Jump before you are pushed. Things are not going to get better but worse.
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Khan Nov 25, 2015 08:52pm
I have seen his interview and his statement is taken out of context.
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Ajaya K Dutt Nov 25, 2015 08:58pm
Too little. Too late.
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saber Nov 25, 2015 09:23pm
Here we go, Amir Khan you are the voice of Indian minority, if you leave then....
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Ahmed Nov 25, 2015 09:41pm
I will ask the commentators to read Balaji Viswanathan's answer to the question - Is India a tolerant nation? on Quora.
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SKR Nov 25, 2015 09:54pm
He shouldn't have spoken what was discussed by him and wife as a bedroom discussion in the public. He has put her to embarrassment. Celebrities are expected to think before speaking. This was a lapse on part of Amir. Let us move on.
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march21 Nov 25, 2015 10:21pm
Intolerance in any Nation leads to loss of bright minds and eventual destruction of that Nation. That said Pakistanis critisizing India so ardently seem to tolerate not just intolerance but active persecution in their own country. Laws against blasphemy and apostasy does not exist in any country other than Muslim nations. Madrassas instructing youngsters in just religious studies and warfare do not exist either. As an aside, here is a link. Please read: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/20/us-saudi-rights-idUSKCN0T913X20151120
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Azhar Hussain Nov 25, 2015 10:23pm
If a guy of his so called stature has to beg for forgiveness for telling the truth, I can only feel sorry for the regular Indian Muslim. The same Indian Muslims shamelessly kept quite while the Indian army had a field day in Kashmir.
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Sadhu Nov 25, 2015 10:29pm
Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman on Tuesday said he agreed with Bollywood star Aamir Khan's statement on growing intolerance in the country. Rahman explained that he faced a similar situation in September, when a Muslim group issued a fatwa against him. He was referring to the Mumbai-based Raza Academy's fatwa against him for composing the music for an Iranian film
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Hamza Sultan Nov 25, 2015 11:01pm
His words weren't meant to "woo his detractors". Why would they? He did or said nothing wrong, all he did was express his (and his family's) fear which natural. All Muslims in India are scared of discrimination, but they're even more terrified of being social ostracized as punishment for expressing their fear!
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LoveAamir Nov 25, 2015 11:20pm
C'mon Aamir deep down you also love pakistan. You know living as a muslim in pakistan is better than living in india nowadays. Move to pakistan and we will welcome you with open arms.
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BRILLIANT Nov 25, 2015 11:30pm
He just wanted to promote his film but "celebrities" will go to any extent for publicity...he got more than he wanted....that his movie may flop.
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WaheedNoor Nov 26, 2015 12:02am
If you leave India you are unlikely to make any money. Whether India is intolerant or becoming intolerant it allows you to earn tons of money. So the best advise I can give you is to lay low and earn the money.
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Saira khan durrani Nov 26, 2015 01:32am
AK Pakistan loves you!
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Rashid Sultan Nov 26, 2015 01:33am
@Angry Rottweiler Rubbish narrow nationalism jingoistic comment. He has every right to comment about his country in whichever way he wishes. Democratic & constitutional right!
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Vijay PATEL Nov 26, 2015 01:44am
All three khans are the super stars in an intolerant India. It is interesting that all these folks did not see any intolerance during 10 years' if congress rule. The incidents they cite were happening during congress rule.
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peacenik Nov 26, 2015 01:46am
india seems to have become somewhat intolerant after the rightist modi govt has come in power largely due to the RSS - which is the backbone of the BJP party. But still india is a great country for all kinds of people- all minorities- in fact our bandra suburb in mumbai where aamir khan, salman, shahrukh khan, dilip kumar and other film stars stay - is becoming a muslim majority township- our school st. theresa"s in bandra has 60 percent of students who are muslims- mumbai is a haven for muslims- and so also is india- with its 200 million muslims--- now look at pakistan- if an honest survey is done- we are sure that about 20% of the population - 40 million people would not mind shifting back to india - if given the peaceful re-migration option- ---
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desidude Nov 26, 2015 02:06am
@Bokhari - he has always loved India. Too bad you can't see that. Loving India doesn't mean you can't see its faults and work to fix them. It saddens me to see the reaction of so many of my fellow Indians. The consolation is that they are outnumbered by those who are far more tolerant.
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AHA Nov 26, 2015 04:45am
How can you leave sucha lucrative field sir. Also can you tell us who are behind this conspiracy theory (If at all you retain 1% of senses and honesty).
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BRR Nov 26, 2015 05:05am
No great loss if he leaves, no great asset if he stays. Big deal - seeking free advertisement, promotion. This stupidity too shall pass, and indians will even suffer his presence.
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Sonia Nov 26, 2015 05:27am
@Ali Oh yes, thank you Zinnah :) looking at Pakistan today, we indians also feel same
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Gp65 Nov 26, 2015 06:57am
@Harmony-1© He is the one who said he considered leaving India, so people said Bismillah. In a country which has 80% Hindus, his movie PK was a hit. Does that sound like intolerance? Who watches his movies that have made him a superstar and a very wealthy man to boot - is it only Indian Muslims? Of course those that have supported Aamir through their wallet are hurt at being accused of intolerance. Why are you surprised?
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Gp65 Nov 26, 2015 07:02am
@Sanjeev Tyagi Yes Amir has every right to express his opinions. But surely those who disagree with him also have a right to express their opinion?
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Citizen Nov 26, 2015 07:22am
Cheap publicity stunt
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Ajaya K Dutt Nov 26, 2015 07:38am
@Azhar Hussain - A guy of his stature should speak the truth consistently, not selectively.
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Ajaya K Dutt Nov 26, 2015 07:41am
@LoveAamir -"C'mon Aamir deep down you also love Pakistan". They will welcome you and you shall be among your kind.
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Mac Nov 26, 2015 08:01am
Please leave if you wish. Nobody would object.
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Harmony-1© Nov 26, 2015 09:38am
@Gp65 - "Expressing opinions" is not a licence to abuse by telling your citizens to leave their country. This is becoming an Indian trait!
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Charu Nov 26, 2015 09:56am
The way Amir's critics responded was a knee -jerk reaction, imagine growing up with your brother you think all is well with him, suddenly he says he fears you, has felt discriminated against, what would your reaction will be....yes introspection will follow, after the initial shock subsides Also, such extreme reaction only because of how revered he is....if an unknown actor was to make such a statement do you think it will get such an extreme response.
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cc Nov 26, 2015 10:01am
If Amir was sincere about the comments he made, he wouldn’t have given a damn about the mega bucks that he would have lost on endorsements! Actors are not activists - they can never give up MONEY and FAME to endure a bit of PAIN!!! He should remember that belongs to the ‘glamour world’ and not an advocate of common people causes. He should not try to milk the best of both worlds - a bit of pretense is reasonable on his part!
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auginpk Nov 26, 2015 10:13am
I love Amir Khan and his movies. Though he has said something about intolerance in India, he should be excused for saying that, as he is an artist. In the ancient India, Chanakya forgave an spy of his opponent Rakshas as that spy was an artist. He had said that artists are essentially creative people and do not understand the ways of world. They actually live in their own world which is different than real world.
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Bikram Thappa Nov 26, 2015 10:21am
@Ali Thankyou very much Jinnah
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cc Nov 26, 2015 10:34am
If Amir was sincere about the comments he made, he wouldn’t have given a damn about the mega bucks that he would have lost on endorsements! Actors are not activists - they will never give up MONEY and FAME to endure a bit of PAIN!!! He should remember that belongs to the ‘glamour world’ and not an advocate of common people causes. He should not try to milk the best of both worlds - a bit of pretense without going overboard is reasonable on his part!
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Arjun Nov 26, 2015 10:42am
@Qamar Valliani He will not get Indian citizenship.
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Asad Nov 26, 2015 11:08am
Well, the day is finally here when the Indian legends have to prove their love for India.. how saddening
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Dil se Nov 26, 2015 11:25am
@Harmony-1© He should think as responsible citizen before making any statement . Paoples in India has given him so much love. Peoples are sad because they are heart broken. Nothing wrong happened .to him due to his religion . He has done lot of damage to his image
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Dil se Nov 26, 2015 11:30am
@Arshad Hussain Ask him, what wrong happened with him. Rather [peoples in India gave him so much love. Fact is his next movie is to be released soon and its common for movie stars to raise controversy to draw attention by making issue. Shahrukh also did same because just three days before he got notice for illegal transfer of foreign money.
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Ahmed Saeed Nov 26, 2015 11:36am
Neither Indians nor Pakistanis prefer staying in their countries. It is ironic that instead of putting their houses in order, they feel happy with such incidents.
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Harmony-1© Nov 26, 2015 03:18pm
@Gp65 - He mentioned his wife's fear. But you guys said the same (to leave) to Shahrukh Khan (and others) too, except Zubin Mehta because he was not Muslim. When there are so many raising the same voices including intellectuals and yet you are immune to that and instead consider criticising Modi and his intolerant stance as being conflated with defaming India. When a Muslim artist or intellectual speaks up against rising intolerance, he is told 'to leave' and if a Hindu, he is branded as a 'Congress lackey'. The reality is you are telling India's Muslim citizens that they should be grateful that India is looking after them.
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Afsana Nov 26, 2015 11:09pm
These khans have served india so much and now india is kicking them out....so bad
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