A day after his remarks on “intolerance” drew sharp reactions from critics and many in general, superstar Aamir Khan hit back on Wednesday to say he stands by what he said, adding “neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intention of leaving the country.”
“We never did (have any intention of leaving), and nor would we like to in the future. Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying,” the actor said in a statement from Mumbai.
The 50-year-old actor who is also known for fighting against social evils, issued the clarification as his comment generated unthinkable reaction from people belonging to all sections of society as well as his fans among all age groups.
“When I chat with Kiran at home, she says, ‘should we move out of India?’ That’s a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day. That does indicate that there is this sense of growing disquiet, there is growing despondency apart from alarm,” Khan had said in the Ram Nath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award ceremony in the national capital on Monday.
“I stand by everything that I have said in my interview. To all those people who are calling me anti-national, I would like to say that I am proud to be Indian, and I do not need anyone’s permission nor endorsement for that. To all the people shouting obscenities at me for speaking my heart out, it saddens me to say you are only proving my point,” the versatile actor further said.
