The sight of actor Aamir Khan -- fresh from the success of Rang de Basanti -- at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where the Narmada Bachao Andolan sat in protest last week, has set off reactions from shock to surprise to violence.
'I do not know about the technicalities involved in raising the height of the dam. What I do know is that farmers have been displaced from their land and they have lost their livelihood. Till the people who have already been displaced by the dam are not rehabilitated, the height of the dam should not be raised,' Khan said.
Author Arundhati Roy, who supports the NBA herself, found it ironic that Khan, who endorses Coca-Cola, made an appearance at the protest and added that celebrity support must be informed. Meanwhile, in Gujarat, effigies of Khan were burnt and people threatened to boycott his next film, Fanaa. At the same time, however, Khan's action has drawn praise from several people, too.
What do you think about Aamir Khan backing the Narmada protest? Is it a publicity stunt? Or a hangover from Rang de Basanti, which also carried a message on social consciousness? Or do you think the actor is truly concerned about the issue?