“You come in surrounded by priests as if it is the King of England coming in surrounded by bishops, carrying a sceptre. There’s got to be a limit to delusions of grandeur. And I think we are suffering because of that.”
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Celebrated thespian Naseeruddin Shah has always been known for articulating his views clearly and forthrightly. The versatile actor has never shied away from speaking his mind. Just days after commenting that hating Muslims, even among educated people, has become fashionable these days, Shah shared his view on the inauguration of the newly constructed parliament building.
His reaction came just a few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new building in the capital city.
In an interview with the news portal Bollywood Hungama, the actor said that the new parliament building was the need of the hour, while the grand ceremony was not.
Interacting with the media outlet, Shah said, ”The old parliament (building) was 100 years old so one understands that a new building was needed but was a ceremony like this needed where you are introducing religious aspects into everything?”
Referring to the grand ceremony that took place on Sunday (May 28), the actor said that, the ”supreme leader wants to build a monument to himself.”
Media reports quoted him as saying: “You come in surrounded by priests as if it is the King of England coming in surrounded by bishops, carrying a sceptre. There’s got to be a limit to delusions of grandeur. And I think we are suffering because of that.”
Shah said that the new building is “a symbol of our democracy” and added, “I hope it manages to preserve our democracy.”
He called it “worrying times”.
“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. Read the full story here.
Shah is currently basking in the success of his period drama Taj – Divided by Blood. In the Zee5 show, he plays the role of Mughal emperor Akbar. The show also stars Aashim Gulati, Dharmendra, Sandhya Mridul, and Aditi Rao Hydari, among others.
