www.outlookindia.com | 'What Should I Apologise For?'

interview

'What Should I Apologise For?'

Calm, a little philosophical, but resolute, the star says in an interview from Madrid that he has no regrets about his stance, and that he won't say sorry

Namrata Joshi Interviews Aamir Khan

PRINT	SHARE	COMMENTS

Also In This Story

gujarat: aamir boycott

Say Sorry Or Be Sorry

That's the ultimatum the state's served on Aamir and his film for speaking his mind Updates

R.K. Mishra

He was in Spain, attending a friend's wedding and participating in the Imagine India film festival, when Fanaa's producer Aditya Chopra and director Kunal Kohli informed Aamir Khan about the ban imposed on his latest release by cinema associations in Gujarat, allegedly under pressure from the BJP. The BJP Yuva Morcha has been demanding that Aamir apologise to the people of Gujarat for his "anti-Gujarat" stand in support of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and his "anti-Narendra Modi" remarks. Calm, a little philosophical, but resolute, the star told Namrata Joshi in an interview from Madrid that he has no regrets about his stance, and that he won't say sorry.

Did you anticipate the stalling of Fanaa?
Earlier, when I decided to support the NBA, the BJP stopped the screening of Rang De Basanti in Gujarat and forcibly took it off the screens. So certainly, there were chances that they might do so with Fanaa.

They are opposing your stand as anti-Gujarat, anti-development...
I'm doing what I feel is right. I did what I felt was right. I stand by it. My concern was for the rehabilitation of the farmers and the adivasis who would be deprived of their homes. What's wrong with voicing this concern? Is the BJP trying to say it is not for rehabilitation, that no compensation should be given to a farmer who stands to lose his land?

Media reports say the protest has also been prompted by certain remarks you made against Narendra Modi...
For a few hours that he went on fast, I had said that when he breaks his fast and puts food in his mouth he should remember that the food has been grown by farmers. If that truth is difficult to swallow, if it's reason for them to come on so strong and powerful, then so be it.

Last year, I also spoke about the Gujarat genocide on the programme Walk the Talk on NDTV. I had said that people killed in Godhra and its aftermath were not Hindus or Muslims for me. They were Indians, and whoever was responsible for the carnage was anti-Indian and anti-national. If that was the reason for this (ban), so be it.

How does it affect the film and you as a star?
The losses would be above Rs 5 crore. But that's a separate issue. I'm not thinking about how it would affect me as a star. The issue here is of the concept of democracy. If the people of Gujarat are annoyed with me, they have the choice not to go to the theatre, not to see my film, not to support me. But it's wrong for any organisation to use its might to force them into it.

A lot of time, money and effort have gone into a film and then the audience doesn't get to watch it...
It's unfortunate. People do find ways to watch a film if they want to, but there would still be huge financial losses. And, what about people losing their land and houses? I think that's a far bigger, deeper issue.

What action do you plan to take now?
In life, nothing is in our control. The maximum we can do is to do what we believe is right. I strongly believe that each one of us has to fulfil our karma, to do what he or she feels is right. The BJP should do what it feels is right, the people of Gujarat and India should do what they feel is right.

There are many avenues I could take recourse to. There is the legal option, I could seek help from the film industry and the various film associations, but on this issue I want the people to decide. The people should decide if this is the kind of political party they want. It's an indication of how the BJP can use violence and force. Not just can-they are doing it and intend to keep doing it. The BJP is a political party that has time and again believed in using brute force. They have no value for human life. The BJP is a strong entity. It can do much worse than what it has already been doing.

Would you have a dialogue with the protesters?
Why should we? It should be their decision, not ours.

Would you apologise?
What should I apologise for? What wrong have I done? I am happy and proud of what I did.

PRINT	SHARE	COMMENTS

Also In This Story

gujarat: aamir boycott

Say Sorry Or Be Sorry

That's the ultimatum the state's served on Aamir and his film for speaking his mind Updates

R.K. Mishra

Filed In Topics: Films: Bans and Controversies, Narmada, Moral Police, Aamir Khan, Namrata Joshi

More In: Arts & Entertainment, Interviews, Movies

Daily MailPublished

COLLAPSE COMMENTS :

HAVE YOUR SAY

Jun 27, 2006 12:00 AM 16	A lot of communal talk and name-calling on this site [someone called Aamir a prick] by unthinking net posters.I feel sad that a star who has bothered to step out of his Pali Hill heights and speak up for the voiceless displaced is being treated as a communalist,a villain and a hypocrite.Modi and his ilk have a fine future in India with such bigoted and cynical support,but India's future can't be all that bright if things continue in this direction.And after the senseless suicide of a misguided protester,Aamir is being vilified and blamed more than before.How unfair that people who face criminal charges--actors like Salman Khan--are still hugely popular with the public and media,while Aamir gets treated like scum.This India sucks. Lalitha.S Chennai, India
Jun 03, 2006 12:00 AM 15	Let me second the opinion of Rahul :: Gujarat gvt has not banned th film it's the people on the street wo are up in arms.. Now compare this to the official ban on D vinci code in congress ruled states like goa ..noone talks about it .. so it's not about freedom of expression after all .... YOU KNOW ARUNDHATI, YOU(R) GOON UN-RAPED BANDIT, YOU KNOW YOUR YSR THE CHAUVNISTIC REDDY CHRISTIAN BANNED DA VINCI CODE....YOU KNOW THE IDIOT HYPOCRAT....CHRISTIANS ARE TINY MINISCULE AND THEY HAVE 4+ CHIEF MINISTERS, ALREADY AND A SUPER PM. YOU KNOW ARUNDHATI, RAPE MOTHER INDIA ARUNDHATI. BUT HOW CAN YOU, YOU DONT HAVE A DICK...HOW CAN YOU? Well said. 100% correct. Dinesh BC London, United Kingdom
Jun 02, 2006 12:00 AM 14	one thing he should relise that he is becoming political football he should do what he is good at Art and entertaing people and make loads of money probably he is il advise. vijay london, United Kingdom
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM 13	Shut up Amir. The only reason you are given voice in the media is because you are a mullah and you criticize Modi. You should apologize to the people for sharing the platform with a terrorist organization like NBA lead by Medha Patkhar. Daily Pioneer and Indian Express came out with a detailed report on the activities of NBA and it's source of funds. Madhya Pradesh High court has asked the central govt. long back to ban NBA for it's activities. Now, what are you doing sharing your platform with such people? Gujarat govt. represents poor farmers more than you. So why don't you go back to your puppy love movies and leave people's problems to the common man. Indian Secularist Chicago, United States
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM 12	Please stop using the term Rehabilitation and democratic rights' Almost all of them are long since rehabilitated and what remains to be settled are relatively well off Patels and Patidars who are fighting tooth and nail to improve their bargain positions and extract from govt. as much more as possible ( far more then reality would have permitted in absence of The Dam) .Just look at their Bungalows in some magazines(India Today may 2nd week) and you will realize how gleefully they are milking the Govt. in the name of surrendering their ancestral rights over a river! Three generation are extracting packages from the govt.( all major sons over 18 so in 20 years since R@R formulated at least one new generation. and there by milking Govt. so dry that they can not build required canal network.Oh! what a God sent Boon this NBA is to them! And who are condemned to suffer to keep their ownership rights over Narmada intact? A whole parched state that has record of 6 out of 10 years as draught years. Where on one side there are regions with normal year precipitation rate of 10-15 inches (and cruelly they are being advised to harvest water!) and on the other side a mighty river flowing wastefully in to Arabian Sea with millions of cusecs of sweet water. There is certainly a lot of social injustice here as you rightly observed but wrongly attributed. It is actually done to an entire state by a few obstructionists with their extraordinary mispopaganda skills. If Speech is your fundamental democratic right then to have water is not even more important necessity of humans? samarth mumbai, India
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM 11	Gujarat gvt has not banned th film it's the people on the street wo are up in arms.. Now compare this to the official ban on D vinci code in congress ruled states like goa ..noone talks about it .. so it's not about freedom of expression after all Rahul Delhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 10	The Aamir Khan case is a classic example of what is wrong with our political system and indeed our people. Now here is a man who just said that the tribals should get a fair compensation for losing their land. What is wrong with that? Who doesn’t want fairness? It is indeed shameful that he is being cast as a villain for saying something that anyway has to be the basis for solving any problem: fairness. People say that he doesn’t know the details of the issue. May be he doesn’t. But what additional amount of knowledge is going to justify the ruining the lives of thousands of tribals for thousands of other people to get water? So are the home, the family, and indeed the life of a tribal not as important as that of any other person who was plain lucky to be born in a more developed society? All Aamir is asking is for fairness when it comes to dealing with the Narmada issue. He is NOT asking for the dam to be not built. I can understand the political parties, who by nature are characterless, trying to spread misinformation to get mileage out of this issue but why do normal well-educated people, like those in this forum, buy the vitriol that these political parties spread? Think about it people. If you are thrown out of your house along with your family for the “larger good” of the society, do you think that it is “anti-national” or “anti-development” if you ask for a compensation so that you can feed your children and give them proper shelter? The arguments of some people in this forum that Aamir is saying all this “because he is a Muslim” are shameful. So if Hritik Roshan had something like this then is it OK? It is pathetic and disappointing to see well-educated people bringing into picture the religion/ caste in this issue. If we as educated people can’t look at issues without putting our “religion/caste goggles” then what right do we have to blame our politicians when they make divisions/reservations in education/jobs etc. based on caste? I strongly believe we get the government that we deserve. If we have got a government that wants to make reservations based on caste, then that is because we as people still believe in casteism. As we can see in this forum where “elite”, well-educated people contribute their views, we as Indians have not learned to judge a person based only on his/her thoughts. We should reform ourselves, our thoughts first before we can cry hoarse over how “politicians are ruining our country”. Sandeep Troy, USA
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 9	were was aamir when hindus were butchered in kashmir.... or even recent in secular UP hindus were killed in MAU and ALIGAHR......and what about the stand taken by youth congress in gujrat.... SMVERMA DEHRADOON, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 8	Aamir, despite the prick that you are, you dont have to apologise for anything. In a democracy, you have all the rights to voice your ill-informed prejudiced opinion. BJP should ideally expose and discredit this star through debate and not by imposing bans. This ban sets a dangerous precedent and is not a mature way of handling the issue. RSM Delhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 7	Let us have a look at reality of aamir khan and his conscience. SO in wake of gpdhara post-godhara happend and this gentleman;s conscience was awoken. Since last 20 years jihadists have been killing pandists in kashmir . Can Ammir khan let people know how many times in that 20 years his consciene awoke. As far as I can count it stands at zero. So Khan saheb now you know why people think you are doing political posturing. And yes it;s nto BJP who is opposing you it;s people of Gujarat otherwise ur film would have been opposed in madhya pradesh rajasthan orissa jharkhand bihar.....When u identify urself withMedha patekar who is blatantly anti-dam , the dam which provides drinking water to the vast majority of gujarati peopel well u are askign for trouble and you got one.. Medha atekar is pure politician several report says how she forces those tribals not to accept govt package and keep asking for more despite those souls being more than hapy to accept the govt package.. So stop this nautanki of look i am inocent I am beign targeted for no reason. You are doign political grandstanding and it has its repercussions. Andlast but not the least unlike da vinci code which is officially banned in several congress ruled states incidientally for which u have no words to say , your movies is not officially banned in gujarat... I wonder hether u have somethign to say for congress ruled states official ban on D Vinci code.. Rahul Delhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 6	Mr Amir Khan , so yoru conscience awoke when post-godhara happened. Let me give some history lessons since last 20 years islamic jihadists have been killing poor innocent pandists in kashmir. Tell me how many times you voiced your concern. I am pretty sure if post-godhara has not happened even godhara would not have awoken your conscience. Don;t try to fool people. People can see through your political macinations.. Andyes once you have entered the field of poiltical posturing be ready for its effect. Last but not the least BJP is not opposing you and your movie otherwise BJP is in power in rajasthan in madhya pradesh in jharkhand in Bihar in Orissa but there is no boycott in those states. You are being penalised for making viciis statements against gujrat and its people.. Don;t act all innocent. Political posturing comes at cost. Rahul Delhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 5	The tamasha that BJP is indulging in, can be described in one word - "anti-democratic". BJP can be a party that India can rely on, only if thugs like Narendra Modi are shunted out of the political system. Such people are a shame on India and live their lives inciting hatred amongst the populace. This is not to say that all that Amir Khan has said and done on this issue is ideal. Not every person voices his/her concern on every issue, but on only those that touch them deeply. But, they have an obligation to be informed and to be equally outraged when similar fundamentalist acts of hatred are played out in other parts of the country. At this point it seems like he is targeting BJP, but is Congress any better. I think, it is worse. It is very unfortunate that we Indians have to choose between these and tons of other evil politicians, come election time. Amir Khan would be my hero if he voices his support, with equal conviction and fervor, for the citizens protesting the infinitely more outrageous reservation issue. Every well-meaning Indian should oppose such sinister vote-bank politics. In this particular instance of the dam, it has been dragging-on for so many years, that it is now adversely impacting India's growth. Can Amir Khan or the BJP activists protesting Amir's remarks even hazard a guess at the cost of all this drama to the Indian economy? BJP would do better to understand the true meaning of democracy. India can do without self-serving scoundrels like Modi. Deepak Sharma Philadelphia, USA
May 29, 2006 12:00 AM 4	I think these cinematic heroes take there onscreen personality too far. Not to say that Aamir should not have voiced his opinion, but I am not sure he had all the facts with him. Seeing hungry, destitute people on TV channel may have moved him and he might have joined with a rush. But he must understand that there would be many people who have benefited out of this project otherwise the Government would not have built it. Yes, the rehabilitation prgram is not going the way it should do, but then taking an anti-party stand for that does not suits a person like Aamir Khan. The mud sledging he is doing on BJP calling it a dangerous entity, a brute force etc is not in good light. BJP people can also say that when Aamir could not take care of his children and divorced his wife how he became so compassionate about total strangers. The Narmada project is very delicate considering its political and social repercussions; a person of Aamir's stature should be more careful and learned before taking any sides. Yugal Joshi NewDelhi, India
May 29, 2006 12:00 AM 3	this is what you should be apologising for Mr Khan- for using undue influence in DELAYING a major development project in India which would benefit millions. please get the broad facts right, the project has already been delayed costing billions of not Indian rupees but US dollars. this was for a poor country like india, if you, your whole family and all youe closest associates are auctioned off in public then also it would not be a fraction of the total overrun costs. This is the truth. How many peole do you know that were displaced for sure. In India NGO's manipulate facts all the time. What if i sit on jantar mantar and start saying that aamir khan's house in mumbai has displaced me. should people demolish your house. please do groundwork and get all broad facts figures and perspectives before trying to become a hero rajesh rohana mp, India
May 28, 2006 12:00 AM 2	Democracy thrives and survives because we have people like Aamir to thank. It would serve those politicians well if they could take a leaf from his book. They could start by apologising to Aamir and lifting those bans. Sharon Newell Sydney, Australia
May 28, 2006 12:00 AM 1	Aamir should not apologise, as an indian he has every right to give his opinion....I am proud of his stance. BJP has lost its backbone and has a rubberband instead, leaders like narendra modi should be thrown to gallows but instead that he is praised by leaders of BJP. BJP as a party has lost its soul. aamir keep up the fight, we are with you. anupam bhattacharya Lowell, United States

May 28, 2006 12:00 AM 1	Aamir should not apologise, as an indian he has every right to give his opinion....I am proud of his stance. BJP has lost its backbone and has a rubberband instead, leaders like narendra modi should be thrown to gallows but instead that he is praised by leaders of BJP. BJP as a party has lost its soul. aamir keep up the fight, we are with you. anupam bhattacharya Lowell, United States
May 28, 2006 12:00 AM 2	Democracy thrives and survives because we have people like Aamir to thank. It would serve those politicians well if they could take a leaf from his book. They could start by apologising to Aamir and lifting those bans. Sharon Newell Sydney, Australia
May 29, 2006 12:00 AM 3	this is what you should be apologising for Mr Khan- for using undue influence in DELAYING a major development project in India which would benefit millions. please get the broad facts right, the project has already been delayed costing billions of not Indian rupees but US dollars. this was for a poor country like india, if you, your whole family and all youe closest associates are auctioned off in public then also it would not be a fraction of the total overrun costs. This is the truth. How many peole do you know that were displaced for sure. In India NGO's manipulate facts all the time. What if i sit on jantar mantar and start saying that aamir khan's house in mumbai has displaced me. should people demolish your house. please do groundwork and get all broad facts figures and perspectives before trying to become a hero rajesh rohana mp, India
May 29, 2006 12:00 AM 4	I think these cinematic heroes take there onscreen personality too far. Not to say that Aamir should not have voiced his opinion, but I am not sure he had all the facts with him. Seeing hungry, destitute people on TV channel may have moved him and he might have joined with a rush. But he must understand that there would be many people who have benefited out of this project otherwise the Government would not have built it. Yes, the rehabilitation prgram is not going the way it should do, but then taking an anti-party stand for that does not suits a person like Aamir Khan. The mud sledging he is doing on BJP calling it a dangerous entity, a brute force etc is not in good light. BJP people can also say that when Aamir could not take care of his children and divorced his wife how he became so compassionate about total strangers. The Narmada project is very delicate considering its political and social repercussions; a person of Aamir's stature should be more careful and learned before taking any sides. Yugal Joshi NewDelhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 5	The tamasha that BJP is indulging in, can be described in one word - "anti-democratic". BJP can be a party that India can rely on, only if thugs like Narendra Modi are shunted out of the political system. Such people are a shame on India and live their lives inciting hatred amongst the populace. This is not to say that all that Amir Khan has said and done on this issue is ideal. Not every person voices his/her concern on every issue, but on only those that touch them deeply. But, they have an obligation to be informed and to be equally outraged when similar fundamentalist acts of hatred are played out in other parts of the country. At this point it seems like he is targeting BJP, but is Congress any better. I think, it is worse. It is very unfortunate that we Indians have to choose between these and tons of other evil politicians, come election time. Amir Khan would be my hero if he voices his support, with equal conviction and fervor, for the citizens protesting the infinitely more outrageous reservation issue. Every well-meaning Indian should oppose such sinister vote-bank politics. In this particular instance of the dam, it has been dragging-on for so many years, that it is now adversely impacting India's growth. Can Amir Khan or the BJP activists protesting Amir's remarks even hazard a guess at the cost of all this drama to the Indian economy? BJP would do better to understand the true meaning of democracy. India can do without self-serving scoundrels like Modi. Deepak Sharma Philadelphia, USA
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 6	Mr Amir Khan , so yoru conscience awoke when post-godhara happened. Let me give some history lessons since last 20 years islamic jihadists have been killing poor innocent pandists in kashmir. Tell me how many times you voiced your concern. I am pretty sure if post-godhara has not happened even godhara would not have awoken your conscience. Don;t try to fool people. People can see through your political macinations.. Andyes once you have entered the field of poiltical posturing be ready for its effect. Last but not the least BJP is not opposing you and your movie otherwise BJP is in power in rajasthan in madhya pradesh in jharkhand in Bihar in Orissa but there is no boycott in those states. You are being penalised for making viciis statements against gujrat and its people.. Don;t act all innocent. Political posturing comes at cost. Rahul Delhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 7	Let us have a look at reality of aamir khan and his conscience. SO in wake of gpdhara post-godhara happend and this gentleman;s conscience was awoken. Since last 20 years jihadists have been killing pandists in kashmir . Can Ammir khan let people know how many times in that 20 years his consciene awoke. As far as I can count it stands at zero. So Khan saheb now you know why people think you are doing political posturing. And yes it;s nto BJP who is opposing you it;s people of Gujarat otherwise ur film would have been opposed in madhya pradesh rajasthan orissa jharkhand bihar.....When u identify urself withMedha patekar who is blatantly anti-dam , the dam which provides drinking water to the vast majority of gujarati peopel well u are askign for trouble and you got one.. Medha atekar is pure politician several report says how she forces those tribals not to accept govt package and keep asking for more despite those souls being more than hapy to accept the govt package.. So stop this nautanki of look i am inocent I am beign targeted for no reason. You are doign political grandstanding and it has its repercussions. Andlast but not the least unlike da vinci code which is officially banned in several congress ruled states incidientally for which u have no words to say , your movies is not officially banned in gujarat... I wonder hether u have somethign to say for congress ruled states official ban on D Vinci code.. Rahul Delhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 8	Aamir, despite the prick that you are, you dont have to apologise for anything. In a democracy, you have all the rights to voice your ill-informed prejudiced opinion. BJP should ideally expose and discredit this star through debate and not by imposing bans. This ban sets a dangerous precedent and is not a mature way of handling the issue. RSM Delhi, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 9	were was aamir when hindus were butchered in kashmir.... or even recent in secular UP hindus were killed in MAU and ALIGAHR......and what about the stand taken by youth congress in gujrat.... SMVERMA DEHRADOON, India
May 30, 2006 12:00 AM 10	The Aamir Khan case is a classic example of what is wrong with our political system and indeed our people. Now here is a man who just said that the tribals should get a fair compensation for losing their land. What is wrong with that? Who doesn’t want fairness? It is indeed shameful that he is being cast as a villain for saying something that anyway has to be the basis for solving any problem: fairness. People say that he doesn’t know the details of the issue. May be he doesn’t. But what additional amount of knowledge is going to justify the ruining the lives of thousands of tribals for thousands of other people to get water? So are the home, the family, and indeed the life of a tribal not as important as that of any other person who was plain lucky to be born in a more developed society? All Aamir is asking is for fairness when it comes to dealing with the Narmada issue. He is NOT asking for the dam to be not built. I can understand the political parties, who by nature are characterless, trying to spread misinformation to get mileage out of this issue but why do normal well-educated people, like those in this forum, buy the vitriol that these political parties spread? Think about it people. If you are thrown out of your house along with your family for the “larger good” of the society, do you think that it is “anti-national” or “anti-development” if you ask for a compensation so that you can feed your children and give them proper shelter? The arguments of some people in this forum that Aamir is saying all this “because he is a Muslim” are shameful. So if Hritik Roshan had something like this then is it OK? It is pathetic and disappointing to see well-educated people bringing into picture the religion/ caste in this issue. If we as educated people can’t look at issues without putting our “religion/caste goggles” then what right do we have to blame our politicians when they make divisions/reservations in education/jobs etc. based on caste? I strongly believe we get the government that we deserve. If we have got a government that wants to make reservations based on caste, then that is because we as people still believe in casteism. As we can see in this forum where “elite”, well-educated people contribute their views, we as Indians have not learned to judge a person based only on his/her thoughts. We should reform ourselves, our thoughts first before we can cry hoarse over how “politicians are ruining our country”. Sandeep Troy, USA
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM 11	Gujarat gvt has not banned th film it's the people on the street wo are up in arms.. Now compare this to the official ban on D vinci code in congress ruled states like goa ..noone talks about it .. so it's not about freedom of expression after all Rahul Delhi, India
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM 12	Please stop using the term Rehabilitation and democratic rights' Almost all of them are long since rehabilitated and what remains to be settled are relatively well off Patels and Patidars who are fighting tooth and nail to improve their bargain positions and extract from govt. as much more as possible ( far more then reality would have permitted in absence of The Dam) .Just look at their Bungalows in some magazines(India Today may 2nd week) and you will realize how gleefully they are milking the Govt. in the name of surrendering their ancestral rights over a river! Three generation are extracting packages from the govt.( all major sons over 18 so in 20 years since R@R formulated at least one new generation. and there by milking Govt. so dry that they can not build required canal network.Oh! what a God sent Boon this NBA is to them! And who are condemned to suffer to keep their ownership rights over Narmada intact? A whole parched state that has record of 6 out of 10 years as draught years. Where on one side there are regions with normal year precipitation rate of 10-15 inches (and cruelly they are being advised to harvest water!) and on the other side a mighty river flowing wastefully in to Arabian Sea with millions of cusecs of sweet water. There is certainly a lot of social injustice here as you rightly observed but wrongly attributed. It is actually done to an entire state by a few obstructionists with their extraordinary mispopaganda skills. If Speech is your fundamental democratic right then to have water is not even more important necessity of humans? samarth mumbai, India
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM 13	Shut up Amir. The only reason you are given voice in the media is because you are a mullah and you criticize Modi. You should apologize to the people for sharing the platform with a terrorist organization like NBA lead by Medha Patkhar. Daily Pioneer and Indian Express came out with a detailed report on the activities of NBA and it's source of funds. Madhya Pradesh High court has asked the central govt. long back to ban NBA for it's activities. Now, what are you doing sharing your platform with such people? Gujarat govt. represents poor farmers more than you. So why don't you go back to your puppy love movies and leave people's problems to the common man. Indian Secularist Chicago, United States
Jun 02, 2006 12:00 AM 14	one thing he should relise that he is becoming political football he should do what he is good at Art and entertaing people and make loads of money probably he is il advise. vijay london, United Kingdom
Jun 03, 2006 12:00 AM 15	Let me second the opinion of Rahul :: Gujarat gvt has not banned th film it's the people on the street wo are up in arms.. Now compare this to the official ban on D vinci code in congress ruled states like goa ..noone talks about it .. so it's not about freedom of expression after all .... YOU KNOW ARUNDHATI, YOU(R) GOON UN-RAPED BANDIT, YOU KNOW YOUR YSR THE CHAUVNISTIC REDDY CHRISTIAN BANNED DA VINCI CODE....YOU KNOW THE IDIOT HYPOCRAT....CHRISTIANS ARE TINY MINISCULE AND THEY HAVE 4+ CHIEF MINISTERS, ALREADY AND A SUPER PM. YOU KNOW ARUNDHATI, RAPE MOTHER INDIA ARUNDHATI. BUT HOW CAN YOU, YOU DONT HAVE A DICK...HOW CAN YOU? Well said. 100% correct. Dinesh BC London, United Kingdom
Jun 27, 2006 12:00 AM 16	A lot of communal talk and name-calling on this site [someone called Aamir a prick] by unthinking net posters.I feel sad that a star who has bothered to step out of his Pali Hill heights and speak up for the voiceless displaced is being treated as a communalist,a villain and a hypocrite.Modi and his ilk have a fine future in India with such bigoted and cynical support,but India's future can't be all that bright if things continue in this direction.And after the senseless suicide of a misguided protester,Aamir is being vilified and blamed more than before.How unfair that people who face criminal charges--actors like Salman Khan--are still hugely popular with the public and media,while Aamir gets treated like scum.This India sucks. Lalitha.S Chennai, India

COLLAPSE COMMENTS

COLLAPSE COMMENTS :

HAVE YOUR SAY

Jun 19, 2006

The Sabarmati Banks Cut A Sorry Figure
The dichotomy between Indian democracy and the situation in Gujarat can be best summed up in the following quote: "In a democracy people change the government, in dictatorship the dictator changes the people." Be it the anti-minority sentiment that flared up the riots or the more recent Fanaa episode, Gujarat has been transformed beyond recognition. Gandhi may be the father of the nation, Gujarat’s paternity has passed on to Modi! The Congress too should ponder how it’s subtly toeing the bjp line in the state. If West Bengal is India’s enduring bastion of Communism, Gujarat is that of fascism.
Pranav Sachdeva, New Delhi

I am no Modi supporter but I don’t see the logic behind Aamir Khan’s contention that his constitutional rights are being violated. After all, the Gujarat government has not banned the Fanaa screening. Instead of debating freedom of expression, Aamir should take up issue with the Gujarat Multiplex Owners Association.
Mike Desai, Ghaziabad

The media is acting as if this is the first time freedom of expression has been suppressed in India. How much effort have you made to air the grievances of the suicide-driven Vidarbha farmers? Or of villagers in Naxal-infested states like Chhattisgarh and Andhra? After all, how much will the people of Gujarat suffer if a run-of-the-mill film is banned?
Aravind Sridhar, New Delhi

Democracy thrives because we have people like Aamir (What Should I Apologise For?). It would serve those politicians well if they take a leaf from his book. They could start by apologising to Aamir and lifting those bans.
Sharon Newell, Sydney

His brashness is the first thing that struck me after reading the Aamir interview. Maybe he has no plans to enter politics, but where was Aamir all these years when the nba movement picked up? Why this sudden guest appearance now? Does he know the seriousness of the issue? His impetuous behaviour has for sure troubled the industry, especially Coca-Cola.
Shyamala Ayachit, on e-mail

Jun 19, 2006

COLLAPSE COMMENTS


Post a Comment
You are not logged in, please log in or register

Comments Policy

We at outlookindia.com welcome your feedback to the articles, stories and blogs featured by us.

But please note the following:

1. Please keep your comments/feedback limited to the subject matter of the article you are responding to. Please note that our comments section is not a general free-for-all. It is for feedback to articles/blogs posted on the site. Please try and keep your comments concise and clear. Short messages tend to get noticed and also have a high probability of getting published in our respective print magazines.

2. Please do not spam us. Please do not post the same message again and again. Even in different threads.

3. Scathing, passionate, even angry, critique is welcome; abuse and invective is not. We request civility and urge our readers to try and express their disagreements, if any, without being disagreeable. There is just no space for personal attacks. No ad hominem please.

4. If any of the above three conditions are violated, we reserve the right to delete any comment that we deem objectionable and/or also to withdraw posting privileges from the abuser(s).

Please note that it may not be possible for our moderators to sift through your messages and if they find more than one instance of abuse, they may decide to delete all your messages ever posted by you rather than spend time trying to locate all the abusive ones. Therefore, if you want us to take you seriously and for your messages to be retained on the site, please ensure that you do not cross the civil lines of propriety.

Please note that hate-speech is punishable by law and in extreme circumstances, we may be forced to take legal action by tracing the IP addresses of the poster.

Our endeavour is to keep these forums un-moderated and unexpurgated. Please help us help you.

5. If someone is being abusive or personal, or generally being a troll or a flame-baiter, please do not stoop to their level. The best response to such posters is to ignore them and send us a message with links to the offending mails at the following email address: Mail AT outlookindia DOT com. Please put "COMPLAINT" in the subject-header of your mail.

6. Please do not copy and paste copyrighted material. If you think that an article on another site has relevance to the point you wish to make, please only quote what is considered "fair-use" and provide a link to the article under question.

7. There is no particular Outlookindia.com line on any subject. The views expressed in our opinion section are those of the author concerned and do not necessarily reflect the views of Outlookindia.com

8. Please also note that the sole responsibility for the comments posted on the site is that of the relevant registered user posting the comment. The comments could be deleted or edited entirely at our discretion if we find them objectionable. However, the mere fact of a comment's existence on our site does not mean that we necessarily approve of its contents. Outlookindia.com however, retains the right to publish any of these comments, with or without editing, in any medium whatsoever.

9.Outlookindia.com is not responsible in any manner whatsoever for how any search engine -- such as Google, Bing etc -- caches or displays the comments posted by you. Please note that you are solely responsible for posting these comments and it is a privilege being granted to our registered users which can be withdrawn in case of abuse. To reiterate:

a. Comments once posted can only be deleted at the discretion of outlookindia.com
b. The comments reflect the views of the authors and not of outlookindia.com
c. Outlookindia.com is not responsible in any manner whatsoever for the way search engines cache or display these comments
d. Please therefore take due caution before you post any comments as your words could potentially show up on search engines such as Google, Bing etc.

10. There is an online thread for our comments policy. You are welcome to post your suggestions here or in case you have a specific issue, to directly email us at Mail AT outlookindia DOT com with the subject header COMPLAINT.

We look forward to your feedback.