I caught the beginning of this news story, but somehow missed the middle, and am now coming in at the end.  As I previously posted, Aamir said something in an interview about being concerned about the news stories in India, and his wife being worried for his safety and the safety of their child (this was after Shahrukh had mentioned “growing intolerance” in his birthday interview, which was the remark that lead to protests for Dilwale.  Which could be a whole other post, about how the Khans are always connected, even when they don’t want to be, and a remark by one will always force a response from the others).

Anyway, protests, FIR filed against him, etc. etc.  And then it blew up again last week in an interesting way, which I apparently missed!

Apparently, in some promotional interview for Airlift, Akshay made a remark about those who make “bold statements” about their country.  Which lead to Aamir having to make another clarifying statement today, during the celebrations for the 10 year anniversary of Rang De Basanti.

So many interesting things there!  First, that Akshay made the remark.  Obviously, he was promoting Airlift, which is this year’s Republic Day release, the film for people who want to feel good about their country.  So he’s not going to support Aamir’s statements.  I mentioned in a couple of posts, including today’s post on the latest on Airlift‘s box office, that Akshay is a solid star, but not at the level of the Khans.  However, he is also not at the level of, say, Viviek Oboroi.  He is a legitimate superstar, with a massive following and an impressive career behind him.  He has a certain level of standing in the industry, and what he says about these things actually matters.  It is a tribute to the respect Akshay commands that Aamir actually felt the need to clarify in response.

Also, Akshay is Hindu.  The barely hidden undercurrent to all these remarks is that Aamir, and Shahrukh (and Salman, who is keeping his mouth shut on these matters more than usual) are the most beloved and powerful Muslims in India.  On the one hand, they have a responsibility to speak for their community.  On the other hand, they are attacked viciously when they do.  Akshay, as a Hindu, could have been much more direct and blatant in his critiques of Aamir, it would have helped his career and no one in the media would have taken him to task for it.  So, weirdly, I have to respect him for making a statement, but watering it down as much as possible.

Second, Aamir chose to respond at the Rang De anniversary celebrations.  I almost wonder if he was planning this response for a while but chose to wait for this occasion. Rang De Basanti was of course a massive hit, and massively patriotic, while also being critical of Indian society.  Making us all think about Rang De is a good way of reminding us that Aamir is both patriotic, and critical, and these things can go hand in hand.

And finally, the statement from Aamir itself.  First, he clarifies that he would never consider leaving India, it is his home, he gets homesick when he is gone for even a few weeks, and his great uncle fought for Indian Independence.  So, a nice reminder that his identity is both personal and historical, as it is for all Indian Muslims, whether everyone acknowledges that or not.  And second, he points out that the reaction to his remarks proves the truth of them.  Which, ha!  That’s exactly what I said!  I mean, it is a kind of obvious point, but I still appreciate a moment of being in complete agreement with Aamir.