Shah Rukh Khan apologizes on national television?

17 Dec 2015

A while back Shah Rukh Khan found himself in the eye of a storm when he made a statement that said religious intolerance and not being secular was the worst kind of crime that you can do as a patriot. Following this remark Shah Rukh Khan faced the wrath of many an angry Indian on social sites calling him names.

Now just a few days before his film Dilwale , Shah Rukh Khan apologized on ABP news. On the show Press Conference when quizzed about his views on intolerance Shah Rukh says, "Could you ask me that question more specifically, because now days I have decided to be more specific in what I say and what I am asked, give me the exact context for your question and then I will answer." When presented with the rephrased question about the intolerance in India, Shah Rukh commented, "I don't think there is any tolerance or intolerance. The question that I was asked because of which I faced a lot of criticism was, 'What do you think you need to tell the future generation?' According to me to be modernized and to have a modern India, my thoughts to the youth would be, not making any differentiation in terms of region, religion, caste, colour, creed, sex and gender would be great. But I did not mean that I feel this happens in our country as of now. I am straight forward in what I am saying, I am pretty scared by what I just faced, so I will say that everything is very good in India, God Bless our country, long live us, long live Indians. There is no problem and I have never faced any intolerance, except for when I am smoking in front of people, and that tends to rub others the wrong way. But even then they are tolerant, I accept that I am doing something wrong there and still people tolerate it." Further adding on the show Shah Rukh said, "In whatever I've done, and whatever I've said, I have never said anything like this. And I would like to appeal to the people to please do not believe those few individuals that are saying that since my film is releasing, I am here talking about this. In fact, I am here and saying this because it is the truth. I think we are on the cusp of modernization and are in the best of place a country can be. We will, we can and we should be a superpower. But small little issues I think for younger generations, not the generation that exists... I am not saying that right now we are intolerant, I am not saying that there is a problem. I am very happy, I am highly patriotic, and a true nationalist and I am really sorry if someone felt offended or hurt. And once more I am not saying this so that people go and watch my film, they can still go or not go, it is their choice, and I will not be affected by it, just stay happy. But nowhere have I said anything that is wrong, and having said that, the fact that every time I speak things are misunderstood, this is the last place and best place to say that after this please keep question limited to my life and my films, do not ask me questions on important things like economic development, social issues, society, caste, creed or politics, I do not know anything. All I know is acting, apart from this I have nothing else to say."