‘Muslim hating’ is fashionable now: Naseeruddin Shah

‘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’

Celebrated actor Naseeruddin Shah recently opened up about the hate that is visible among people towards one religion in India. Speaking to a publication, the veteran actor, who we last saw in “Taj-Divided by Blood”, said that hating Muslims is fashionable, even among educated people. He called it “worrying times”.

In the chat, Naseeruddin said the mood in the current lot of films is a reflection of what is happening in reality. “Oh sure, these are worrying times absolutely. 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 said.

A vocal critic of the current government of India, Naseeruddin Shah added that the election commission is a mute spectator to politicians who are using religion to get votes. He said there would be “utter devastation” if a Muslim leader had asked for votes by saying “Allahu Akbar”.

“I mean how spineless is the election commission of ours? Who doesn’t even dare utter a word? If there had been a Muslim leader who had said, ‘Allah Hu Akbar bol ke button dabao’, sh*t would have hit the fan. 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 said. Naseeruddin Shah was last seen in OTT show.

Naseeruddin Shah was last seen in the role of Mughal emperor Akbar in “Taj - Divided by Blood”. The show currently streams on ZEE5. The show has been greenlit for season 2 and the trailer of “Taj- Reign of Terror” is out. In the trailer, a vengeful Salim will take on Akbar in a battle for the throne. The show also stars Dharmendra, Aashim Gulati, Sandhya Mridul, and Aditi Rao Hydari. (Agencies)

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