"If you don't feel like watching the movie, then don't. It's a free country and the film is out there," said Raksha Bandhan star Akshay Kumar.
The recent cancel culture aka the boycott trend on social media has been the talk of the town not just among the masses but also celebrities. There's no denying that Bollywood has become a soft target for trollers these days. Boycotting Hindi films even before they have hit theatres is an increasingly recent trend with upcoming movies Laal Singh Chaddha starring Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar's Raksha Bandhan being the latest targets of the vicious trend.
Now, reacting to the ongoing boycott trend in India, Raksha Bandhan star Akshay Kumar during a promotional event in Kolkata urged people not to get involved in such activities.
He said, "If you don't feel like watching the movie, then don't. It's a free country and the film is out there, so if someone wants to watch it or not, it's up to them. I would like to tell you, no matter which industry it is, be it the clothing industry, film industry or anything else, all of these help the economy. But doing things like boycotting movies, it doesn't make sense."
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A few days ago, Aamir Khan also expressed his views about the ongoing Boycott trend in India."That Boycott Bollywood... Boycott Aamir Khan... Boycott Laal Singh Chaddha... I feel sad also because a lot of people who are saying this in their hearts believe I am someone who doesn't like India... In their hearts they believe that... And that`s quite untrue. I really love the country... That's how I am. It is rather unfortunate if some people feel that way. I want to assure everyone that it's not the case so please don't boycott my films, please watch my films," he had said.
In 2015, Aamir Khan said in an interview, "Our country is very tolerant, but there are people who spread ill-will." His wife Kiran Rao also made headlines for saying that she considered leaving the country for the safety of their children.
Reacting to the particular interview, Twitter users have been putting up posts using hashtags such as #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha and #Boycottaamirkhan. The trolls also dug up when Aamir met Turkey's First Lady Emine Erdogan while he was shooting for Laal Singh Chaddha there. Netizens were unhappy with the meeting as it happened in the backdrop of Turkey's increasing anti-India and pro-Pakistan stand.
Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt too reacted to the #BoycottBollywood trend. In an exclusive with DNA said, "I don't give any attention to it and the fact that journalists are giving attention to it also shows how used to we have become focusing on the negative. We never focus on the positive. How do you know where that (trend) is coming from or how manufactured it is? How do you know how organic it is?"
"I don't go by Twitter trends, I go by whether a movie does well or not. That’s why am saying the audience is king because they decide whether they want to pay money and go watch a film in the theatre or not. No Twitter trend is going to change that," she said.
Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan will clash at the box office on August 11.
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 "Raksha Bandhan-Laal Singh Chaddha/File photo")
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