Accliamed director Shyam Benegal finds it sad that Ae Dil Hai Mushkil director Karan Johar had to reiterate his patriotism. Johar made a video appeal yesterday to those protesting the release of his directorial venture because it has Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.
Raj Thackeray-led MNS has threatened to stall the movie’s release on 28 October.
Benegal also questioned the constant demand made on people to prove their patriotism. “I feel very sad that he had to make a statement like that because how can anybody doubt his patriotism or his love for this country? Does it need to be reiterated every day of his life or my life, because there is a demand on the people to prove his patriotism? Why should one do that?” he asked.
Read: Karan Johar – “I Will Not Engage With Pakistani Talent!”
In the video, Johar had said that he was hurt to be called an anti-national because ‘country comes first’ for him.
Meanwhile, veteran scriptwriter Salim Khan tweeted that the film industry is not divided and is the only place where talent is valued. “What works is talent & capability. This is true from the time of Dada Saheb Phalke till date. It is true that there are some amongst us who have aligned themselves to political parties for personal gain. And yes we are a happy lot. If our films work, we are happy and if a rivals film flops we are happy too. And we live happily ever after,” he tweeted.
Johar’s video has elicited mixed responses from the public. While a section called out the director for his sudden U-turn on the issue, very few celebrities came out in support of Johar.
