Despite the multiple boycott campaigns, the roaring success of Pathaan is symbolic in various ways. At a recent press conference, while talking about the success of his comeback movie, Shah Rukh Khan made an impactful statement about India’s diversity. He compared himself and his co-stars (Deepika Padukone and John Abraham) to Amar Akbar Anthony.
Drawing a comparison from Manmohan Desai’s 1977 superhit movie, Amar Akbar Anthony, Shah Rukh Khan said that as actors all they want to do is spread “love and brotherhood.” Speaking at an event organized by Yash Raj Films, Shah Rukh said,
This is Deepika, she is Amar. I’m Shah Rukh Khan, I’m Akbar. John – he is Anthony. We are Amar, Akbar, Anthony. And this is what makes cinema. There are no differences any one of us have with any culture. We are hungry for audience’s love. All these crores are not important. The love we receive – nothing is bigger than that.
The actor added, “We have to keep our culture, our old stories, all that has seeped into this country – our beautiful country which is India – we have to tell the stories in modern ways, in different ways and when we tell them in those different ways, there is no way that we are deriding anybody. We’re just trying to speak the language of youngsters which has changed.”
The video went viral on social media and people hailed Shah Rukh Khan for spreading such an important message about unity, diversity, and culture. Here’s what they had to say.
The actor thanked the audience for the love that they have given to him and his films. Pathaan raked in ₹500 crores in just one week since its release in theatres.
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