Suniel Shetty defends Aamir Khan as social media calls for boycott

Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan has been receiving a lot of flak of late for remaining silent on the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent response in the form of Operation Sindoor, as well as for his trip to Turkey, a supporter of Pakistan.

These reasons have triggered the trend of #boycottaamirkhan in recent days, with many vowing that they will not see his film when it comes out. Coming to his defence, actor Suniel Shetty said in a conversation with ABP, “Humesha Bollywood ke peeche pade rehte hai (People are always after Bollywood). Bollywood doesn't come forward in this. If it’s about the country, politicians will speak; if it's in the nation’s interest, we will definitely support it — that’s why we even make such films. We are trying to do our job.”

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“Speaking about my industry, I can say there are more India-centric individuals here than anywhere else in the world,” he added.

He also referenced the clip of Khan making rounds on the internet that shows him spending time in Turkey. Shetty said that people should “forget the past”, and noted that celebrities are snapped out of context in social settings, prompting the internet to make assumptions. “Turkey’s situation then and now is very different. So, what we do going forward should be our own decision, rather than judging based on the past. When you go to big social gatherings, you don’t always know who you’re posing for pictures with. In today’s time, if you don’t pose, you’re called ‘rude’, and if you do so unknowingly, you still become a target.”

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Though Khan has not spoken about it directly, the display picture of his production house’s social media accounts has changed to the Indian flag.

The actor has also received accusations that Sitaare Zameen Par is a copy of the 2023 American sports comedy Champions, which is in turn inspired by the 2018 Spanish film of the same name. Khan had earlier mentioned that the film is a remake.

Sitaare Zameen Par will hit the big screens on June 20.

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