Shah Rukh Khan on Padmaavat row: The more one talks about the fringe, the more popularity they gain

When the Padmaavat controversy broke out, social media was quick to pick sides. While most spoke out against Karni Sena and supported Bhansali's film, there was an eerie silence over the matter from some of the biggest names in Bollywood. Most people condemned Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh Khan for keeping mum about the matter, and for not making any public statement. Some even blamed them for being scared and hence choosing to keep mum.

SRK, though, expressed that the silence was maintained for a reason.

On Tuesday, addressing the Padmaavat controversy for the first time, Khan said celebrities are not scared of expressing their opinion, but if sometimes they choose to remain silent, it is for a valid reason.

Khan spoke during a panel discussion on "Media - Shaping the Future and Entertainment" at "Magnetic Maharashtra Convergence 2018" in Mumbai on Tuesday night.

Khan was asked if the government should take more step to protect the freedom of artistes` expression and whether celebrities should come up with their opinion fearlessly. But he stressed that actors are not afraid of speaking their mind.

When he was pointed out about how many stars chose to keep mum over the Padmaavat controversy, Khan said they simply "ignored such non-constitutional people for a greater reason".

"People said why are these big stars are not coming up with their opinion and hiding behind? Honestly, we don`t have to hide anywhere. The simple truth is, the more prominent actors talk about them, the more popularity they (Karni Sena) would gain. The ideal action is to ignore them, not to talk about them," the actor said.

Without mentioning the name of the film, SRK stated that he had also suggested Padmaavat team to not react as that would encourage the protestors more. "If more prominent actors, actresses and directors came and talked about this film—as a matter of fact, many times I suggested to their team, not to talk about this, just keep quiet because you are giving wind to fire. And suddenly these people are getting more recognised by the virtue of being on all the news channels. So don’t give them importance," the actor said.

He pointed out that people even said that big stars are busy making money. "But that`s not true. We love the society that we are living in and we are creating entertainment for our people. We might at times not voice our opinion, because as a 52-year-old father, I want all the children and family go and watch the film in theatres, safe and sound.

"I want kids to go back home safely after watching the film, even if they dislike my film. I am more concern about the security of my son and other kids... That is the responsibility of an entertainer."

However, SRK believes that creative people will always find a way to make their film and speak their mind.

"I can vouch for many filmmakers that nobody makes films to incite people, that is never the intention. Nobody wants to hurt any sentiment of any region, religion or others. No matter what, they will say what they have to say," he said.