Mumbai: Actor Aamir Khan has said that his ‘intolerant’ remark was highly misconstrued, adding that his work and contribution to Indian cinema and society showed his love for the nation.
The 50-year-old actor, who drew sharp criticism for his remark, broke his silence at the tenth year celebration of cult movie ‘Rang De Basanti’ yesterday.
“There is no use of bragging and saying that I am a patriot. I want to show the work I did for last 25 to 27 years. You should see the movies I did, the TV show I host. What was the need of doing ‘Satyameva Jayate’ for last four years? I do this because I love my country. I take out time for this and do it whole-heartedly as I feel I am contributing to nation building,” said Aamir.
The ‘Sarfarosh’ actor, whose comment was linked to the ‘intolerance’ debate, said he never meant that he wanted to leave the country.
“I never said India was intolerant or I wanted to leave the country. I also understand the emotions of those who were hurt. I would like to say that my statement was misunderstood and to some extent the media is responsible for it. I was born here and I will die here,” said the actor.
Backing Aamir’s perception, lyricist Prasoon Joshi said that one should see the actor’s work before levelling allegations against him.
Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who was also present, with subtle humour added that intolerance has become a trending fashionable term.
“Intolerance has become a fashionable term nowadays. The people use it so often that it seems breakfast can’t be digested without a pinch of intolerance. I think it’s nothing like that. We are a 5000-year-old nation and have known history for 25000 years. So, it has gone through different ups and down,” he said.
Aamir’s statement last November that he was “alarmed” by a number of incidents and that his wife Kiran Rao even suggested that they should probably leave the country had triggered a nationwide outrage. He was recently replaced as the brand ambassador of ‘Incredible India’ campaign.(ANI)