Villagers give Khan a warm welcome.
By Sreejith Vallikunnu
Amidst the raging controversy over his remarks on growing intolerance in the country, Aamir Khan returned to Ludhiana in Punjab to resume the shooting of his upcoming movie ‘Dangal’, on Tuesday.
Villagers in the area gave a warm welcome to the actor who had taken a break from shooting following a shoulder injury.
A villager from Gujjarwal was quoted by The New Indian Express saying, “It was Jee Aayan nu (big welcome) earlier and it will be the same now. We have never let his religion come in way of Punjabi hospitality. Because that is what Punjab is all about.”
“For us it never even crossed our minds that Aamir Khan is a Muslim. Even now, it is nowhere. Today, he is in Ludhiana again and nothing will change for us. We don’t know what this controversy is about and why so. We put in all efforts to make him feel at home,” said another villager named Harjeet Singh.
Villagers also added that Aamir’s remarks will have least repercussions during his stay in rural Punjab.
Aamir Khan had said on Monday that his wife Kiran Rao had expressed her concerns over raising communal clashes and was thinking of leaving the country, while speaking at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism awards on Monday.
Following the statement, there was a protest outside Aamir’s house. Causing more worries to Aamir and Kiran, a lawyer named Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed a sedition case against them in the chief judicial magistrate court in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
There were also mixed reactions from the politicians, celebrities, journalists all over the country on Aamir’s statement. Security has been beefed up for the actor on the sets of the film and at the hotel where he currently stays.