Shah Rukh Khan compared himself and his Pathaan co-stars to the lead characters of Manmohan Desai’s 1977 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,” Shah Rukh Khan said at a press conference on Monday. The 57-year-old spoke to the conference alongside his Pathaan co-stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. “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,” said SRK.
The Raees star said that box office numbers do not matter as much as the love that actors receive from the audience. “To be honest when we make films, be it in north, south, east, west, our aim is to spread happiness, brotherhood, love, kindness... Even when I'm playing a bad guy in 'Darr' 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,” said Shah Rukh Khan, whose latest project faced calls for boycott before it was even released.
“We have to keep our culture, our old stories all that is seeped into this country, beautiful country, which is India. We have to tell the stories in modern ways, in different ways. And when we tell them in different ways there is no way we are deriding anybody. We are just trying to speak the language of youngsters which has changed,” the actor explained.
Pathaan has broken box office records in its stupendous five-day run so far. The film has collected more than Rs 500 crore in five days.
However, Pathaan had landed in controversy after its song 'Besharam Rang' was released. The music video featured actor Deepika Padukone in a saffron-coloured ensemble in some scenes, which a section of the public objected to. The film had faced calls for boycott in several parts of the country, including Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
