27, Jan 2016

Kolkata, Jan 27, 2016 (PTI)
Claiming that some Hindu groups are now behaving like Muslim fundamentalists, eminent lyricist-scriptwriter Javed Akhtar has said barring such elements Indian society has always been tolerant.

“In 1975 I showed a comedy scene in a temple. Today I won’t. But even in 1975, I wouldn’t have shown a scene in a mosque because that level of intolerance was there. Now the other one is matching it,” Akhtar said last night at a literary meet here.

“Now they are joining the club….its a tragedy. Don’t say Hindu. Thats a wrong representation. Some Hindu groups,” he said at a panel discussion on intolerance.

However, giving the example of Aamir Khan starrer superhit Hindi film ‘PK’, he said it was the Hindus which made the film click at the box office.

“I really wonder in any Islamic country you would make the same kind of film by taking Muslim symbols will become superhit,” Akhtar who has co-written scripts of many Bollywood blockbusters with Salim Khan including ‘Sholay’, ‘Don’, ‘Seeta aur Geeta’ and ‘Deewar’ said.

He said “we tend to take extreme sides in case of controversies.