Naseeruddin Shah On Three Khans' Silence On Prophet Remark Row: They Think They Would Be Risking Too Much

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah recently talked about the film's industry silence on the controversy sparked by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma with her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate.

Speaking about the silence of the three Khans of Bollywood (Shah, Salman and Aamir) in connection with this matter, the Sarfarosh actor told NDTV, "I am not in the position they are in. But I think they are in a position where they have too much to lose. I feel they think they would be risking too much."

Citing the example of Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan's arrest in the drugs-on-cruise case and the investigating agency giving him a clean chit later, Shah said that King Khan was a victim of witch-hunt.

"What happened to Shah Rukh Khan and the dignity with which he faced it was admirable. It was nothing but a witch-hunt. All he did was support Trinamool and applaud Mamata Banerjee. Sonu Sood gets raided. Anyone who makes any statement gets a response. Maybe I am next. I don't know. Though they won't find anything," he told the news portal.

He continued, "I am in a fortunate position compared to a majority of Muslims in India who feel threatened or marginalised. I don't feel marginalised. I am not unhappy in this country. This is the country I was brought up in and I am luckily in a position where I cannot be marginalised. It is not like my anti-establishment statements have prevented me from getting work. I am just hopeful that somehow good sense prevails. Personally speaking, I don't feel left out. I am aware of my Muslim identity and my Muslim culture. My wife is a Hindu and we don't feel held back. This hate wave will dissipate. Some day."

Further during the interview, Naseeruddin Shah appealed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in and "stop the poison" in connection with the Prophet remark row.

In the same interview, the actor also commented on Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files. He called it 'an almost fictionalised version of the suffering of Kashmiri Hindus' and said that the government is promoting it.