by Sherful Islam
The so-called controversy surrounding Aamir Khan’s comments on growing religious intolerance in the country is unfortunate and politically motivated. What Khan said was nothing new. But when top star expressed alarm and despondency over the rise in the number of such incidences and said that his wife had even contemplated relocating to another country, he was only airing an opinion under the freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution of India.
Khan was not the first to speak out on the raging issue. His colleague, Shahrukh Khan, had echoed similar views. Several eminent writers, filmmakers, historians et al. have also given up their prestigious honours to inveigh against the government’s failure to respond with alacrity to such incidences. But instead of understanding why Aamir Khan went public with his comments and felt the way he did, a battery of angry posts on the social media, taunts and personal innuendos have welcomed him. What followed more were, inter alia, the calls to boycott his movies, stop using the e-commerce Snapdeal app, which he is brand ambassador of, and the latest by the right-wing Shiv Sena – offering Rs1 lakh to anyone who slaps him – which are nothing short of obnoxious.
So, what is causing more disquiet is that in today’s India, it has become next to impossible for anyone to freely air his/her opinions in public. Even the more worrisome trend is a section of ruling party leaders going hell for leather, accusing Khan of acting as an agent of the Congress and being part of its conspiracy to malign the Narendra Modi government. Some radical Hindu groups went to the extent of labelling him as an anti-national and asking him to leave the country. Mr. Perfectionist also came under attack from some of his Bollywood fellows, including Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal, who have been the staunch supporters of the current political leadership. But instead of threatening or bullying Khan, the government needs to reach out to him and ask what makes him stick his neck out and say so.
