‘Deepika is Amar, I am Akbar, John is Anthony’: Shah Rukh Khan’s message on unity and inclusivity wins the internet

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is presently riding high on the thunderous success of his latest film Pathaan (2022), interacted with the media on January 30 and said that the film’s cast reflects the uniting factor of Indian cinema which cuts across lines of religion, caste, and region.

“The actors are just playing characters and not trying to hurt anyone's sentiments. The aim of cinema is to spread happiness, brotherhood, love, and kindness. To be honest, when we make films, be it in the north, south, east, or west, our aim is to spread happiness, brotherhood, love, kindness… Even when I’m playing a bad guy in Darr (1993) or John is bad in this film, we are just playing characters. None of this is meant to hurt any sentiment. It is just entertainment,” he said.

He compared himself and his Pathaan co-stars to the lead characters of Manmohan Desai’s 1977 classic film Amar Akbar Anthony to promote the message of unity and inclusivity.

“This is Deepika Padukone, she is Amar; I am Shah Rukh Khan, Akbar; this is John Abraham, he is Anthony. And this is what makes cinema. Amar Akbar and Anthony,” Khan said at the press conference on Monday. “There are no differences that any of us have for anybody, any culture, any aspect of life. We love you and that’s why we make films. We love you to give us love. Give us love, we are hungry for love. All these crores are not important… The love we receive…nothing is bigger than that.”

Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham in lead roles, Pathaan hit theatres on January 25. The Siddharth Anand directorial is on its way to becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film.

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