Anupam Kher has come out in support of Shah Rukh Khan after Bharatiya Janata Party MP Yogi Adityanath compared the Bollywood superstar with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed for his comments over intolerance in India.
Kher, 60, took to Twitter to blast the controversial statements made by some BJP leaders against Shah Rukh. “Some members of the BJP really need to control their tongue & stop talking rubbish about @iamsrk. He is a national icon & We r PROUD of him,” Kher tweeted.
Hitting out at Shah Rukh two days after the actor added his voice to the protest by the intelligentsia against the ‘climate of intolerance’, Adityanath also suggested that the actor should go to Pakistan.
However, earlier in the day, Kher also said that he will lead a march against ‘Award Wapsi’ by a number of authors, filmmakers and scientists protesting the ‘increasing intolerance’ in the country.
Meanwhile, noted filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has said that he is ‘baffled at the reason for artistes’ dissent’. “National Awards are given to the people for their work and talent and not for their personal beliefs. These awards are bestowed by the nation and not by a particular line of leadership. Your personal likes and dislikes were never the reason for you getting this award and it should be the reason otherwise also,” Bhandarkar said.
He also criticised the filmmakers for ‘not taking the consent of their units before returning the awards’, who also contributed to the success of their films.
