Aamir Khan’s 2016 film Dangal is the highest-grossing Indian film, having earned over Rs 2000 crore at the global box office. A large chunk of its earnings came from China, where the film was very well received. The actor recently revealed the events that unfolded before he refused to release Dangal in Pakistan. The censor board of the country had demanded the removal of the Indian tricolour and national anthem.
Aamir Khan on refusing Dangal release in Pakistan
In an interview with Rajat Sharma on Aap Ki Adalat, Aamir spoke about Dangal not being released in Pakistan. “After Sarfarosh, I got a lot of negative comments from Pakistan about how we portrayed them. When Dangal was released, Disney was one of the producers. They told me that Pakistan’s censor board had responded, saying, ‘Remove the Indian flag that appears after Geeta Phogat’s win, and remove the national anthem, or we won’t pass the film.’”
Aamir added, “So I told Disney immediately that our film will not release in Pakistan. They said, ‘Our business will be affected, and we will suffer losses.’ I said, ‘Anyone who asks us to remove our Indian flag and national anthem — I have nothing to do with them. I don’t want that business.’”
Aamir Khan addresses Turkey backlash
The actor also addressed the criticism he faced for meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan back in 2017 and 2020. He was criticised after Turkey extended support to Pakistan amid geopolitical tensions between the two countries.
Responding to Sharma’s question about Turkey’s alleged support to Pakistan with combat drones, Khan acknowledged the shift in political dynamics and expressed his disappointment.
“Turkey has done the wrong thing (Turkey ne bahut galat kiya), and every Indian is hurt,” he said. “During the 2023 earthquake in Turkey, the Indian government was the first to send humanitarian aid. At that time, neither I nor our government knew what Turkey would do later.”
“When I met President Erdoğan, I did not know that his country would support actions against India seven years later,” he explained.
Touching on the widespread boycott of Turkish products and tourism among Indian consumers, Khan expressed his support for the sentiment, saying it was a natural reaction to betrayal.
“They are doing the right thing. We must not support a country that is siding with those who attack us,” he said. He further added, “We extended friendship during their time of need, and in return, they supported Pakistan. Bahut hi galat baat hai.”
Khan concluded with a strong message of solidarity with fellow Indians:
“Very right. We should not support Turkey at all. When they are attacking us, when they are helping Pakistan… What is this? This is wrong. Very wrong.”