Karan Johar joins intolerance debate, says freedom of expression the 'biggest joke'

Jaipur: The latest to join the intolerance debate is Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar. On a query on why he did not participate in the intolerance debate, the filmmaker said that freedom of expression in India "is the biggest joke".

Addressing a gathering at the Jaipur Literature Fest in Rajasthan, Johar sparked a controversy by saying that "revealing in today’s time can land you in jail".

"It is a tough country to speak about your personal life. I feel very sad about it," he added.

The filmmaker further said that being a public figure, he is "expected to kind of helm a certain movement, talk about freedom of expression, which is the biggest joke in the world," adding, "I am a filmmaker and I don’t even have freedom of expression."

Reacting to this, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "India is the most tolerant country. People who are questioning India's tolerance are the same people who have no clue about India's culture and heritage...this year we have seven elections so all this is nothing but politics around the intolerance debate."

This comes shortly after a statement from actor Aamir Khan on the issue of intolerance. Expressing concern over some recent developments, the actor had said that his wife Kiran Rao felt scared for family security in India, and had also suggested him to leave the country.

At an award function, Aamir Khan had said that he was "alarmed" by a number of incidents and his wife Kiran Rao even suggested that they should leave the country considering growing intolerance. Later, clearing the air over his statement on intolerance, Aamir said that he is a proud Indian and has no intentions of leaving the country.

"Neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intention of leaving the country. We never did, and nor would we like to in the future. Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying," he had said in a statement.

The actor was backed by colleague Shah Rukh Khan, who had said that there was no need for him to prove his patriotism in the wake of the statement.

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra are set to replace Aamir Khan as the face of the Incredible India campaign.