You Dare Not Bully Shahrukh – Mahesh Bhatt

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… "You dare not bully people like Shahrukh," said Mahesh Bhatt with a stroke of anger in a video interview with Bollywood Hungama's Faridoon Shahryar today as he strongly supported Shahrukh Khan in the grossly misrepresented controversy raging out of Shahrukh's article in a leading magazine. With regards to the Vishwaroopam controversy, Bhatt termed it as "State Terrorism". We bring you excerpts from Mahesh Bhatt's no-holds-barred interview on the two burning topics faced by the Indian Democracy on the day when Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead 65 years ago. The full interview will be uploaded on Bollywood Hungama soon.

On Shahrukh Khan's 'Outlook' Controversy
Anybody who knows Shahrukh will know that he is a modern young Indian man who has his roots in the core secular values of this nation. But isn't this a fact that in India there is a mindset that a Muslim is always looked as the 'Other'. While Shahrukh has got the adulation of millions of Indians which has made him into a superstar but there are unfortunate Muslims who are not as lucky as he is and who are discriminated against because they happen to be Muslims. It is a damn fact; you don't want to look at it, too bad! As an Indian, as a person who loves the secular values, as a citizen of this country on the day when the Mahatma was shot (Today is Gandhi ji's death anniversary), I will tell those people that you dare not bully people like Shahrukh as this country belongs to everyone. India is a democracy which is still aspiring to be a complete and perfect democracy. If Shahrukh Khan criticizes certain factions who belittle him then he is within his right as that right has been given to him by his founding fathers and the constitution. Somebody from the neighbouring country uses it and twists it, and then those guys twist even their religious faith and use it for war, how is Shahrukh responsible for that. Anybody who makes Shahrukh feel apologetic for saying things as they are within his country, is doing India a lot of disservice. Thank God there are people like Shahrukh who say things as they live it.

On Vishwaroopam Controversy
This is the darkest moment in the history of Indian cinema when a filmmaker of the stature of Kamal Hassan is running from pillar to post after having procured the censor certificate which gives him the right to release his film anywhere in India. You have a State government which is defying the dictate of Supreme Court which says that if you have the censor certificate then you can't have law and order as an excuse to stall the release of a film. I spoke to Leela Samson (Chairman of Censor Board) and she said that I can swear there is nothing inflammatory in the film and yet you have him not seeing the end of the tunnel. He has already lost Rs 40 crores. It is a case of state terrorism.

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more