After claiming he doesn’t know Shah Rukh Khan, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says actor called him to ‘express concern’ regarding Pathaan protest
22 January, 2023
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said “it’s duty of state govt to maintain law and order” after superstar Shah Rukh Khan called him and “expressed concern” regarding violent protest against his upcoming film Pathaan. The development comes a day after the Assam CM, answering to media queries, had said, “Who is Shah Rukh Khan? I don’t know anything about him or his film Pathaan.”
Media persons had raised questions on the violent protest by Bajrang Dal activists, who stormed a theatre at Narengi in Guwahati on Friday where the film is slated to be screened. The far-right wing group’s volunteers tore down the film’s posters and burnt them.
Taking to Twitter, the Assam CM wrote he got a call from Shah Rukh Khan at 2 AM and he assured the superstar that the state will enquire and “ensure no such untoward incidents” happen. “Bollywood actor Shri @iamsrk called me and we talked today morning at 2 am. He expressed concern about an incident in Guwahati during screening of his film. I assured him that it’s duty of state govt to maintain law & order. We’ll enquire and ensure no such untoward incidents,” the tweet read.
On Saturday, talking about the superstar, the Assam CM had said, “Khan has not called me, though many from Bollywood do so, regarding the problem. But if he does, I will look into the matter. Action will be taken if law and order has been violated and a case has been filed.”
Pathaan faced boycott calls and protests after after BJP ministers and right-wing outfits claimed the track “Besharam Rang”, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, insulted the saffron colour, “which is holy for the Hindu community.”
When reporters told him that Khan is a Bollywood superstar, Sarma said that the people of the state should be concerned about Assamese and not Hindi films. He said the Assamese film Dr Bezbarua – Part 2, the first directorial venture of late Nipon Goswami, will be released soon: “People should see it.”
Pathaan, which has been directed by Siddharth Anand, will be released on January 25. It marks the return of Shah Rukh Khan on the big screen four years after his last release, Zero.
Source: indianexpress.com
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