Shah Rukh Khan is 'desh bhakt': Certifies Congress MP

Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said that Shah Rukh Khan belongs to a family of freedom fighters.

New Delhi, Dec 17: While a section of Hindus and Muslims have come down heavily on Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan', liberals and pro-Congress supporters have put their weight behind the Bollywood actor and Deepika Padukone, who are criticised over the vulgar song 'Besharam Rang' in the upcoming flick.

Now, a popular Congress leader has given certification to the 57-year-old actor saying he is a "desh bhakt'. "Shah Rukh Khan always remains positive and he comes from a family of freedom fighters. He comes from a family which is nationalist. Whatever he has said is right. He is a rashtra bhakt," a news agency quoted Congress MP Rajeev Shukla as saying.

However, Shukla did not realise that the question was not whether Khan was a nationalist or not and people objected to the costume that he wore in the song. His certificate saying that the actor is "desh bhakt" takes many by surprise as he was mum when Vivek Agnihotri's 'The Kashmir Files' was attacked by liberals and his own party leaders.

The movie throws light at the killings and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.

Shah Rukh Khan's 'Besharam Rang' has come under attack from Hindus over the actor wearing green color costume while Deepika is seen sporting saffron colour attire. There has been a lot of criticism coming from the right-wing groups in Madhya Pradesh and the state home minister Narrotam Mishra hinted at banning the film.

The Madhya Pradesh Home Minister on Wednesday hinted at banning the Hindi movie. He posted a video in which he raised his two objections against the movie. "The costumes in the song at first glance are objectionable. Actress Deepika Padukone who supports 'Tukde Tukde gang' is in the song of the film #Pathan. The costumes are highly objectionable and the song has been shot with a dirty mindset. The scenes and costumes of the songs should be corrected, otherwise, we will consider whether or not to allow the film to be released in Madhya Pradesh," Narottam Mishra wrote in a Tweet written in Hindi.

Netizens, on the other hand, asked cine-goers to boycott the movie as Deepika had extended support to the JNU protesters in 2020.

In an attempt to garner free publicity to her 'Chhapaak' in 2020, she had visited the JNU campus to express solidarity with the protestors who claimed to have been attacked by right-wing activists. Although the 'stunt' helped her draw attention towards her film, the controversy failed to translate into business and the movie bombed at the box office.