Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has voiced his opinion on the three Khans-Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir as well as Bollywood’s silence on former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks about Prophet Muhammad. In an interview to NDTV, Shah said that speaking of the biggest stars of the country has become like losing a lot.
About the three Khans, Shah said, “I cannot speak for them. I am not in the position they are in. I feel they think they would be risking too much. But then, I don’t know how they explain to their own conscience about it.” On the three Khans not commenting on political issues, Shah said, “I think they are in a position where they have too much to lose.”
Citing Aryan Khan’s example, the veteran actor added, “What happened to Shah Rukh Khan and the dignity with which he faced it was admirable. It was nothing but a witch-hunt. He has kept his mouth shut. All he did was support Trinamool and applaud Mamata Banerjee. Sonu Sood gets raided. Anyone who makes any statement gets a response. Maybe I am next. I don’t know. (laughs) Though they won’t find anything.”
He also took a dig at the rise of ‘pseudo-patriotic’ cinema such as The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri. Shah said, “They want to be on the winning side.” He also accused the government of promoting the controversial film Kashmir Files, describing it as a fictional version of the suffering Kashmiri Hindu.
Recently during a TV debate, a comment was made by Nupur Sharma about Prophet Muhammad. Subsequently, Sharma was suspended by the BJP after several countries in the Middle East raised official objections. The BJP distanced itself from his statements by calling him a ‘fringe element’ and said that his words do not reflect the views of the government of India.