Muslims should come out to protest 26/11: Aamir

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Posted: 15 years ago

Muslims should come out to protest 26/11: Aamir



In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN's Suhasini Haidar, actor Aamir Khan speaks about the impact the Mumbai terror attack has had on him and what he believes the nation needs in such times. Aamir feels the nation needs a better leadership and a collective responsibility for the attack.

Suhasini Haidar: Many actors have voiced what they think the nation needs at this time. If you were to say at the end of 2008, what is it that you want?

Aamir Khan: I think it would be two things. At this point of time why we really need to do is, look at ourselves. I think each one of us needs to take a look at his or herself and see what it is that we can improve. Where and why is there a lack of integrity and how can we correct it. What is my level of corruption or honesty and how I can improve it and correct it. Each one of us individually needs to look at that. And I'm hoping if everyone does that, then we'll have a collective result.

Secondly, we should bring up our children in way where we should teach them to be more sensitive. I see around me that a lot of parents encourage their kids to be very competitive. And they want them to come first in everything and I think that creates people who grow up to be extremely selfish and want to achieve their goals without any regard for what is happening around them.

If we bring up our children in a manner where we teach them to be sensitive towards other children, I'm hoping that by the time they are 18 they would grow up to be caring adults. And therefore are caring towards society and the people around them and are not selfish.


These are two things that I would point towards.

Suhasini Haidar: What seems to be is that we are living in times of terror of the sort we haven't seen before. Who do you really blame for the kind of terrorism we've seen in India in particularly in Mumbai. And would you say it's been difficult to explain to your children about what has been going on?

Aamir Khan: Yes, it is not easy to explain this to a child. I don't think I can hold any one person responsible for that has happened. I think it's a collective responsibility we all have to own up to. It is a result of the fact that we haven't been upright enough in many ways, we have allowed ourselves to be corrupt and as a society we have propagated that in many ways and which has resulted in a lot of things.

The fact today our leaders that we chose are one of us, they are not very different from the way we are. Our leaders represent us in more ways than we think they do. So today we have leaders who are more interested in furthering their own gains and we point out to them, we're really pointing to ourselves. Leaders today don't hesitate to create turmoil in a society to achieve their own gain, which is a shame.

Suhasini Haidar: In your blog you wrote, Mumbai has proven that it doesn't matter who the political party in charge is, whether it's the BJP or Congress, both have failed to tackle terror. You've also said in your blog that you're looking at the youth of this country to set up their own party. Where is that headed?

Aamir Khan: I'm quite an idealist. I don't know how helpful the suggestion is. I'm hoping that the leaders that we have right now would be self-critical and try and change themselves. Though I don't know how far that is possible and how far that will actually happen. But we can look with hope towards the younger generation. And hope that from them emerge leaders who have a much higher level of integrity, honesty, strength and wisdom.


Suhasini Haidar: We've seen you as an activist. Do you see yourself as a politician?

Aamir Khan: No I don't. I think my heart is in filmmaking and story telling and in part of that. I do feel that from where I am in the world of entertainment I can do my bit by telling stories that would perhaps inspire people and motivate them think about what is happening to us socially. So, I can contribute in that manner.

Suhasini Haidar: Obviously you were affected with what happened in Mumbai. The question of being a Muslim when Jehadi terror is really talked about. Do you think at this moment that Muslims are feeling the pressure that they have to come out particularly and speak out against terror?

Aamir Khan: I think that is a natural reaction. No matter which country or community we talk about whether it's the majority community or the minority community. If there are certain elements in that community which have done acts which we're all really unhappy and ashamed about, that particular community would feel bad about it. They would want to condemn what is happening. And would want to come out with their thoughts them being against what is happening. So that is a very natural response.

So if that happens with the Muslim, Hindu or Christian community. If you have people from a certain community doing acts, which are senseless, I think members of that community would feel like coming out and protesting and condemning it. And they should do that.

Suhasini Haidar: Do you think the situation has brought India together much more in the past few weeks or do you see much more communalisation.

Aamir Khan: In my opinion from what I've seen in the past so many days is that the common man is realising in full force that terrorists do not have religion and in fact we should not connect them to any religion. It could be a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian terrorists. But as far as we are concerned they are just terrorists. That is the feeling, which is growing among people. The innocent people who are dying in such attacks are from all communities. Also, there is this realisation among people that politicians are manipulating and using people.

And more and more people are openly realising that this politics of divide and rule is not what they want. I think it is the time that we see and recognise politicians who instead of leading us to peace, prosperity and progress remind us about our religion and cast. And clearly that is a person we shouldn't be trusting.

Suhasini Haidar: Discussing the role of Pakistan, we've seen you do films such as Sarfarosh and Fanaa - about the role that Pakistan has in fuelling terror. The debate now is that what is it India should do next. Do you think India should cut off cultural ties with Pakistan?

Aamir Khan: First of all I would like to say that I don't think that the common man in Pakistan is to be really blamed for this. There have been as many terror attacks in Pakistan as there have been in India. And so the common man is as affected with terror over there as we are over here. Based on the evidence that we have seen, there are elements in Pakistan who are creating, propagating terrorism and certainly the Pakistan leadership should take strong action against them. And if they are unable to take action then the world community needs to do something about it, because we just can't sit back and allow this to happen.

I think that is what Nawaz Sharif said - which I really appreciate him saying was - that he would like for Pakistan to come to terms with the fact that there are problems in Pakistan which need to be addressed. And which can only be addressed once they have been admitted. Also there is no point in trying to lie or to making up stories about it.

It's time that Pakistani leadership realise that they are so far not showing signs of doing that. They have to be honest about what is happening and have to take honest and sincere steps against the elements there who are propagating this. And if they are unable to then they can seek help from other countries. But their sincerity about tackling something like this has to come through.

Suhasini Haidar: Do you think cutting off ties between India and Pakistan is an option?

Aamir Khan: I think whatever the international community needs to do to make sure that it happens we would need to do. I'm not someone who would like to take or recommend extreme steps. However, I'm also not the kind of person to just allow something to happen, which all of us are clearly against and it's not in the benefit of anyone including Pakistan for that matter.

So, I do think that the international community should take steps, which are strong to make sure that we stab terrorism out or at least make-consolidated effort in doing that.

Suhasini Haidar: A lot of what you say and the kind of films you do brings you about as the thinking man's actor. As many of the movies you do seem to have some sort fo a cause in it. Like Taare Zammen Par had a cause and some say Ghajini in itself speaks about someone with Amnesia.

Aamir Khan: No, Ghajini does not have any social message in it, and neither is it bringing a cause forward. Ghajini is just an emotional experience, it is a story which is essentially an action-thriller. It is a revenge story, which is not an emotion that I would expect myself or people to act upon and take law in their own hands. But certainly in a framework of fantasy it might satisfy a lot of emotions, mine included.

It's a larger than life film which promises to entertain and not really make any social comments in that sense.

Suhasini Haidar: But you do give a lot of social commentary through your films. Do you see yourself as a thinking man's actor, an action hero or a part activist?

Aamir Khan: No, none of this actually. I see myself as a person who in the first instance loves being part of story telling and I gravitate towards subjects and topics that interest me. And certainly my choice of films would indicate what I'm going through at that point of time. I moved toward Sarfarosh because I was feeling a certain way and I had certain thoughts in my head, which is the reason I gravitate towards Sarfarosh, Taare Zameen Par, Lagaan or Rang De Basanti. So these films would be an indication of the kind of person I am. Though that is not why I'm doing those films, I'm doing the films that interest me and appeal to me for a reason.

Suhasini Haidar: When your fans heard that you were building you body for Ghajini, many said that Aamir being an intellectual hero should not build his body?

Aamir Khan: The fact of the matter is that my attitude towards this isn't me too. I'm not building my physique or going into training like other actors. This is a specific requirement that the director had from me for Ghajini and so I started bodybuilding for Ghajini. In fact after the filming of Ghajini, I began to lose the muscle because I've started shooting for Raju Hirani's film because for Raju's film I have to have completely non-muscular look. So for the last seven months now, I haven't been in training and I'm actively trying to lose the muscle that I gained for Ghajini.

Suhasini Haidar: Was it really tough?

Aamir Khan: It was tough. It was tougher mentally than physically. Essentially the principle of bodybuilding is that you make your body do what it can not do and which is why it adapts and grows. So everyday you're going to the gym to do what you cannot do, which requires a lot of mental strength. To put you through pain and torture requires a certain amount of discipline and strength of mind to do that.

Suhasini Haidar: Having said that you have built the body, is it important to have this over obsession with the body which we've seen in Bollywood in the past few years.

Aamir Khan: Well, most people I've met have liked it, so I don't really know who you're talking about. I have no idea what the other actors feel about it and they should follow what they feel. As far as I'm concerned I try and use my body as a tool since I'm an actor and use it to the best of my abilities to satisfy my director and what he ahs in mind. And I try and look the character and contributor to the film in that way. So I would adapt my body in the role that it requires me to.

Suhasini Haidar: Shah Rukh and you have films coming out around the same time, event happening at the same time and both of you came out to speak about terror at the same time. Is there a constant rivalry between you and Shah Rukh?

Aamir Khan: No, this the first time that our films are releasing so close together. The reason we spoke about the terror attack at the same time was because it happened at one time and obviously we both related.

Suhasini Haidar: But is there no rivalry. Deep down inside are you both friends?

Aamir Khan: No, we are friends. We have a high regard for each other and we share a very warm relationship. As far as I'm concerned I'm not competing with anyone. I'm immersed in doing films that I believe in and I enjoy doing that. I'm extremely ambitious, in trying to better myself and trying to reach a level of filmmaking, which so far I have not attained. I'm not easily satisfied about where I've reached, and I have plans to go further and further and do better each time. So I'm extremely competitive towards myself, but not towards others.

Suhasini Haidar: You're even known as the perfectionist in the industry?

Aamir Khan: It's great if people think so, but I have to admit that I'm not. And quite frankly all of the people who have labeled me as a perfectionist haven't seen me work, so it's a little strange that they've decided what I'm like.

I feel in cinema there is no such thing as the perfect shot. One can go on and on about each and every detail in a shot but what I'm looking for is has that moment happened in the shot that is required. And if we've grabbed the honesty of that moment, then for me we've got the shot even if something else is slightly imperfect. So I look for the heart of the moment not the cosmetic angle.

Suhasini Haidar: At the end of 2008, if we were to ask Aamir ka dil kya chahta hai (what does Aamir's heart want)?

Aamir Khan: I would like that as a country, a society we move towards peace and prosperity. With hope for leadership which leads us in the right direction and in the right manner. So within my heart I wish everyone a very happy new year.

ibnlive.com






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