Naseeruddin Shah on The Kerala Story controversy: 'Muslim hating is fashionable these days'

Naseeruddin Shah is known for his strong opinions, which he always expresses. Once again, his statement has sparked outrage on social media. His latest comments on 'The Kerala Story' have raised many eyebrows. The actor expressed concern about how propaganda is marketed to the public through art. 

Naseeruddin claims that hatred of Muslims is being "cleverly" used and has become "fashionable." When questioned if it's a concern that some films are made to grow hatred against Muslims. He stated that the tone in current films reflects what is occurring in reality. 

Naseeruddin told Indian Express, "Oh sure, these are worrying times. The kind of stuff that’s pure, undisguised propaganda is being lapped up and it’s a reflection of the zeitgeist of the times. Muslim hating is fashionable these days, even among educated people. It’s what the ruling party has very cleverly tapped into this nerve. We talk about secular this, democracy that, so why are you introducing religion into everything?.” 

He added that the election commission is a mute spectator to politicians who are using religion to get votes. "I mean how spineless is the election commission of ours? Who doesn’t even dare utter a word. If a Muslim leader had said, ‘Allah Hu Akbar bol ke button dabao’, sh*t would have hit the fan." 

The veteran actor hopes that this religion card further wears off. However, he opined that it's a clever card played by the Government and it has worked. "But here our Prime Minister goes ahead and says things like this and yet he loses. So, I have hope that this will wear off. But it’s definitely, at the moment, at its peak. It’s been a very clever card played by this government, and it has worked. Let’s see how long it continues to work,” he added.

The actor, renowned for his outspoken and provocative views, is presently starring in Taj: Reign of Revenge with Aditi Rao Hydari and Aashim Gulati, among others. It is available on ZEE5.