Modi’s opposition MP raises Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ in parliament, says film did what no party could

• Shubham
• 08 February, 2023

Follow Us

By: Shubham Ghosh

India’s blockbuster film ‘Pathaan’ starring ace actors Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, and Dimple Kapadia, came up for discussion in the Indian parliament on Wednesday (8) with opposition parliamentarian Derek O’Brien calling the actors ‘India’s biggest global ambassadors’ and that the film showed a mirror to the government and did what no political party could do.

The film, which has been minting millions in the box office since its release on January 25, found itself in the middle of a controversy even before the release. A saffron swimsuit worn by Padukone in the film’s ‘Besharam Rang’ was slammed by many Hindu right-wing voices that called for the film’s boycott.

Well done to India's biggest global ambassadors Siddharth Anand, @iamsrk @deepikapadukone @TheJohnAbraham, Dimple Kapadia for celebrating India's diversity through #PathaanMovie

Excerpt 4 of my speech in #Parliament pic.twitter.com/QVuoRMiXpI

— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও'ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) February 8, 2023

However, since its release, many, including O’Brien, praised the film for upholding India’s cultural inclusivity as people flocked to the cinema halls to watch it. The MP said while there was an effort to boycott Bollywood, the actors gave a beautiful message through ‘Pathaan’.

“A Bharat whose diversity is even more vivid and whose unity becomes more shakeable’ — these lines were turned into a film before they were written. Well done Siddharth Anand (director). Well done India’s biggest global ambassadors. Well done to those of you who made Pathaan. What we couldn’t do, Shah Rukh Khan, Dimple Kapadia and John Abraham have shown this country. We learn from them,” O’Brien, a member of the Rajya Sabha or the Upper House of the Indian parliament from Trinamool Congress, one of the main opposition parties in India, said.

“Don’t mess with India’s biggest global ambassadors. You asked them to boycott Bollywood, they showed you one film with a beautiful message,” he added.

Khan said recently that he was the film’s ‘Akbar’ while Deepika is ‘Amar’ and Abraham ‘Anthony’ (after the 1970s’ hit film ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’) which was seen by many as a message that cinema can go beyond the world of polarised politics.