Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has responded to long-standing allegations that his 2014 film PK was anti-religious or promoted "love jihad," stating that such claims are baseless. In an interview with India TV, Khan clarified the film’s message and addressed renewed criticism that has surfaced over the years.
“Those accusations are completely false,” Aamir said. “We never intended to target any religion. We hold every religion and its followers in high regard. The film’s core message was about being wary of those who misuse religion to deceive people and exploit them financially — and such individuals exist in every religion,” he explained.
PK sparked widespread debate for its critique of organized religion and drew criticism for a subplot involving a Hindu woman (played by Anushka Sharma) falling in love with a Pakistani Muslim man (played by Sushant Singh Rajput). Critics accused the film of subtly promoting “love jihad” — a term used by some to allege a supposed plot by Muslim men to convert non-Muslim women through marriage.
Refuting this narrative, Aamir said, “When people from different religions, especially Hindus and Muslims, fall in love and get married, it isn’t necessarily ‘love jihad.’ It’s just humanity — something that transcends religion.”
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Highlighting his own family, he questioned whether the marriages of his sisters and daughter to Hindu men would also be labeled “love jihad.” Aamir’s sister Farhat is married to Rajeev Dutta, and his other sister Nikhat is married to Santosh Hegde. His daughter Ira recently tied the knot with Nupur Shikhare. Aamir himself has been married to two Hindu women — Reena Dutta and Kiran Rao.
When asked about the Muslim surnames of his children — Ira Khan, Junaid Khan, and Azad Rao Khan — despite his Hindu partners, Aamir said, “Their names were chosen by their mothers. I didn’t interfere. Honestly, husbands don’t usually have much say in such matters.”
He added that Ira’s name was picked from Maneka Gandhi’s book The Penguin Book of Hindu Names, while Azad was named after Maulana Azad, Aamir’s ancestor and a noted freedom fighter who served as India’s first Education Minister.
On the professional front, Aamir Khan will next appear in Sitaare Zameen Par, co-starring Genelia D'Souza. The film, directed by RS Prasanna, is set to release on June 20.
Source: With inputs from NDTV