Kiran suggested moving out of India: Aamir Khan on intolerance

NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan on Monday joined the chorus of artistes and intelligentsia against the ‘growing intolerance,’ saying he was “alarmed” by a number of incidences and his wife Kiran Rao even suggested that they should probably leave the country.

He also virtually supported those returning their awards, saying one of the ways for creative people to express their dissatisfaction is to return their awards. “As an individual, as part of this country as a citizen, we read in the papers what is happening, we see it on the news and certainly, I have been alarmed.

I can't deny. I have been alarmed by a number of incidents,” he said while speaking in New Delhi at the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards function. The actor said he also felt that the sense of insecurity and fear had been growing in the past 6-8 months.

“When I chat with Kiran at home, she says, ‘should we move out of India?’ That’s a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day. That does indicate that there is this sense of growing disquiet, there is growing despondency apart from alarm.

You feel why this is happening, you feel low. That sense does exist in me,” 50-year-old Aamir said.

The actor said for any society, it is important to have a sense of security and sense of justice.

Taking potshots at politicians, he said, “People who are our elected representatives, people who we select to look after us for five years, state or centre... when people take law into their hands, we look upon these people to take a strong stance, to make a strong statement, speed up the legal process, when we see that happening there is a sense of security but when we don’t see that happening there is a sense of insecurity.”

He endorsed scientists, writers and filmmakers returning their awards to register their protest against the atmosphere of growing intolerance. “A number of creative people — historians, scientists — increasingly had a certain feeling in them, which they felt they need to express. For creative people, one of the ways of expressing their dissatisfaction or their disappointment is to return their awards. I think that’s one way of getting your point across,” he said.