20 Dec – Shah Rukh Khan has recently spoken up regarding the boycott that his new movie, "Pathaan" is facing due to its recent music video. The whole issue sparked after politician Narottam Mishra slammed the music video of Pathaan's latest song "Besharam Rang", particularly lead actress Deepika Padukone's revealing clothes in the video, saying that the song was filmed out of a "contaminated mentality." Narottam's backlash was picked up by other right-wing groups, which then equated the title of the song (translated as "shameless colour") to a particular saffron-coloured bikini which Deepika wore, concluding that the song is hurting Hindu religious sentiments due to the colour's association with Hinduism.
After keeping mum about the boycott, Shah Rukh Khan has now spoken up, stating that the only way forward is to remain positive. In a speech he made at the Kolkata International Film Festival, SRK stated, "The collective narratives of our times are shaped by social media. Contrary to the belief that the spread of social media will affect cinema negatively, I believe cinema has an even more important role to play now. Social media is often driven by a certain narrowness of view that limits human nature to its baser self. And its somewhere that negativity increases social media consumption and thereby increases its commercial value as well. Such pursuits enclose the collective narrative making it divisive and destructive." "Cinema exposes the vulnerability of human nature by telling stories in their simplest form as they are lived. It allows us to know each other better. In a way, it is best placed to sustain a collective counter narrative that speaks to the larger nature of human kind - a narrative that brings to the fore humanity's immense capacity for compassion, unity, and brotherhood," he added. "Pathaan" is set to be released in theatres on 25 January 2023.