Although Salman Khan’s controversies continue to make the news as much as his signature ‘acting’, we’d wish the actor would stay out of trouble as much as he can. But trouble has a way of finding Sallu Bhai, and this time its no different.
Recently, the Bajrangi Bhaijaan star has been charged for hoisting the Pakistani flag on Indian soil. And that too when the act was part of a scene in his upcoming movie Bharat.
It wasn’t even as if he hoisted the flag himself. The flag was just raised as a part of a set in Indian Punjab.
Initially, the Salman Khan production was to feature a sequence from the Wagah border. But owing to security issues, that wasn’t possible. Instead the production crew tried to recreate that in a village in Indian Punjab.
The villagers were offended by the sight of the Pakistani flag and filed a complaint against the Tere Naam actor. As much as Indians love their Bollywood stars, they tend to love their nationalism more. That lethal combo really didn’t help Sallu Bhai it seems.
The filming crew fled the scene, sensing the villagers’ hostility upon crossing the boundary. The incensed villagers even gathered at the hotel the crew and Salman Khan were staying at. Even for the love of art, the public failed to understand the situation and local law enforcement bodies were no help at all.
Although Salman Khan has survived many controversies during his career, this time things might be different as his nationalism is being questioned. The actor has a reputation for being crass, unprofessional and rude but never not a patriot. He even has a range of patriotic films under his belt that even did well on this side of the border, unlike some of his genre movies that went on to be commercial flops.
These are labels often thrown at the other King Khans of Bollywood such as Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan but hey, there’s always a first time for everything.
