There is extreme intolerance, says Shah Rukh Khan

Says he is ready to give up his awards as a symbolic gesture

One of India’s biggest superstars, actor Shah Rukh Khan, said there was indeed widespread intolerance in the country and he would not hesitate in giving up his awards, if asked to.

Responding to a question during a Twitter town hall with India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, Khan said: “Yes, as a symbolic gesture I would give it up… I do think there is intolerance. There is extreme intolerance.”

Khan also said the biggest mistake a patriot makes was to go against secularism in India. He also talked about his experience as a Muslim in India, citing several examples where his religious identity and status needed explanation after his remarks sparked controversy. “No one can question my patriotism. How dare anyone?” Khan said. Khan is the latest of several filmmakers announcing that they are returning their national awards to protest the increasing intolerance in the society at large.

These have included Harshavardhan Kulkarni, Nishta Jain, Dibakar Banerjee and Anand Patwardhan.

However, some like actor Anupam Kher have and directors Madhur Bhandarkar and Vivek Agnihotri have termed the move a “publicity gimmick” and an “insult”.

Those having raised their voices against incidents like Dadri, where a Muslim was killed by a Hindu mob that suspected him to have slaughtered a calf and consumed beef, have included Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, industrialists NR Narayan Murthy and Kiran Mazumdar Shah, musicians Zubin Mehta and Amjad Ali Khan.