“Watch With Your Daughter”: Madhya Pradesh Speaker To SRK On ‘Pathaan’ Row
Assembly Speaker Girish Gautam of the state of Madhya Pradesh joined Home Minister Narottam Mishra in opposing the upcoming movie Pathaan starring Shah Rukh Khan.
“Shah Rukh should watch this film with his daughter, upload a picture and tell the world that he is watching it with his daughter,” he said, and added, “This should definitely not be allowed. Will you dish out whatever you feel like? I want to openly say — make one such film on Prophet Muhammad and release it in the name of freedom of expression. There will be bloodshed across the world”.
Before a five-day winter session that starts today and amid calls to outlaw “Pathaan” from theatres, Mr. Gautam made this statement. The governing BJP is expected to bring up the subject on the House floor during the Assembly.
Girish Gautam also made analogies to “sanatanis,” though he avoided mentioning any particular community (Hindus).
“You must have seen, and I do not agree with it, something happened related to the Prophet in Canada and Mumbai was burning. We suffered ₹ 100 crore in losses. Now, when there are protests against the hijab, they are saying it’s Iran’s issue and has nothing to do with us. When it happened in Canada and you wanted to set things on fire then it concerned you, and when women launched a jihad against the hijab in Iran saying they won’t wear it, you repeatedly say on TV that it’s Iran’s issue and not ours. When you want to be destructive then wherever it happens in the world, you support it and when there’s something constructive you say it’s the rest of the world’s issue and not ours. This won’t work any more, because the sanatani people have become aware now. Aware sanatanis are, though, not violent like they are, and thus it feels like we are more tolerant,” he said.
Senior congressmen have also expressed disapproval to the movie, calling it “against our beliefs,” including opposition leader Dr. Govind Singh and former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri.
“It’s not about Pathan, but paridhan (clothes),” Suresh Pachouri said, adding that in Indian culture, any woman wearing such clothes, and publicly displaying that scene, will not be permissible by anyone, be it Hindus, Muslims, or followers of any other religion.
“The costumes in the song are objectionable. The song reflects a dirty mindset,” he had said.
Narottam Mishra made his statement two days after “Pathaan” creators published the song “Besharam Rang,” which pairs the movie’s female lead, Deepika Padukone, with the lead actor, Shah Rukh Khan.
Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright
