Re: Shahrukh Khan: I have been asked to move to Pakistan
Upset by the controversy over his article on being a Muslim, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan says he has always stood for secularism, religious tolerance and a sense of humour but he now feels he should just talk about the Rs.100 crore club or his heroines.
Referring to his first person article in Outlook Turning Point, published in association with The New York Times, he said it was secular and happy.
“It does not in any way construe anything. It is the most secular article and happy article. I wrote it for my kids and I said that they should read this,” Shah Rukh told IANS in an interview Tuesday night after a day of controversy that saw India and Pakistan sparring.
While Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the Indian government should give Shah Rukh security, India’s Information Minister Manish Tewari and Home Secretary R.K. Singh retorted that they were quite capable of looking after their own. Before that, Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed had said the star could move to Pakistan following his comments on being a Muslim.
Clearly disturbed by the turn of events following his article, Shah Rukh said: It has been a good and extremely blessed life but there are certain things which I have stood for and I want people to know that. I have stood for secularism, religious tolerance, sense of humour, sports and I want people to know."
“But when something like this happens, then I feel that maybe you are happy knowing about the Rs.100 crore club or my heroines, and that’s what I will talk about.”
Discussing his write-up, Shah Rukh said he spoke about stereotypical assumptions of what a Pathan and a Muslim should be like, which he is not.
“There are three givens for a Khan or a Pathan. One is he should be 6ft 2in tall and handsome; I am not that. The article talks about that Muslims should be like XYZ. The third one talks about if you are a celebrity, you should behave like this (in a certain way), which I don’t,” he said.
“I have written that in spite of all the cynicism surrounding me, I have not been touched by this cynicism because of the love I get in my country. And suddenly I get this (reaction),” he added.
Shah Rukh said he likes to write and tell people about his experiences in life, but feels he was wrong to think that he could share it with people through his write-up.
“I like to write about my experiences and tell people. When I talk about life to my children, they sit and listen to me, I think they will imbibe something like I did with my parents. And I wrongfully thought that I can do it to a lot of other people (through my story),” he said.
The actor also admits he feels completely safe in India and was very upset about the fact that most of the people haven’t even read his article and were making assumptions.
“I feel safe, confident and happy and that’s why I wrote this. Everyone is reading a report of a report of someone, who doesn’t know what I have written. Not one person has read it. It is a good article and it’s funny and sweet,” he said.*