Kashmir Digits

NEW DELHI–Days after Shah Rukh Khan spoke against intolerance, actor Aamir Khan joined the chorus of intelligentsia, saying he has been “alarmed” by a number of incidences and his wife Kiran Rao even suggested that they should probably leave the country.

While speaking at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, he said, “As an individual, as part of this country as a citizen, we read in the papers what is happening, we see it on the news and certainly, I have been alarmed. I can’t deny. I have been alarmed by a number of incidents.”

Khan also virtually supported those returning their awards, saying one of the ways for creative people to express their dissatisfaction or disappointment is to return their awards.

The actor said he also feels that the sense of insecurity and fear has been growing in the past six or eight months.

“When I chat with Kiran at home, she says ‘Should we move out of India?’ That’s a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day.

“That does indicate that there is this sense of growing disquiet, there is growing despondency apart from alarm. You feel why this is happening, you feel low. That sense does exist in me,” 50-year-old Aamir said.

Taking potshots at politicians, he said “… People who are our elected representatives, people who we select to look after us for five years, state or centre… when people take law into their hands, we look upon these people to take a strong stance, to make a strong statement, speed up the legal process, when we see that happening there is a sense of security but when we don’t see that happening there is a sense of insecurity.”

Asked to respond on why he doesn’t think it’s right to link terror with Islam when Paris attackers were seen holding the Quran, the actor said, “A person killing with the Quran in his hand might think he is Muslim, but he is not. He’s just a terrorist.”

“When you see a person committing violence, the first mistake we make is labeling them Islamic terrorist/Hindu terrorist. This is wrong,” he added.

Khan also reminded that the Censor board is actually a “certification board which decides the age of those who can watch a movie”. However, on a lighter note, the actor maintained that as long as he get to kiss at the shoot, he is not concerned what the Censor board does after that.

Naturally Khan’s comments led to quite an outburst of tweets, led by Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who wholeheartedly supported the ‘Lagaan’ actor: