All Is Well For Shah Rukh Khan; Dodges A Controversy Like A King!

Apart from his superlative performances and inspiring persona, Shah Rukh Khan is popularly known for attracting controversies from all corners. The actor who is gearing up for his much-awaited Zero found himself landed in a controversy due to the movie that was released 17 years ago. Recently, a fringe group, Kalinga Sena, threatened of throwing ink on Khan, during his visit to Odisha, for participation in the opening ceremony of Men’s Hockey World Cup.

On Monday, Kalinga Sena chief, Hemant Rath has withdrawn the protest as it will demean the name of Odisha. He said, “We have decided to withdraw our pledge following the request by Hockey India President. Since it is an international event and Shah Rukh Khan is a promoter, we don’t want to protest, as that would give a bad name to Odisha”. However, Rath said that they had forgiven Khan for hurting the sentiments of the Odisha’s people and have demanded an apology from the actor.

Rath took the decision after an appeal by the president of Hockey India, Mohammed Mushtaque Ahmad. “Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most popular actors of India and is widely known in the hockey community for his support for hockey and movie Chak de India and because of this, he has been invited to attend the opening ceremony”, as stated by Ahmad.

He further added, “Throwing ink on someone who has been invited as a guest shall bring a bad name to India and will show Odisha in a very poor light in front of all international guests, including the teams.”

As per Kalinga Sena, the controversy boils down to Shah Rukh’s Asoka, which was released in 2001, in which Kalinga War was portrayed in a wrong manner which humiliated the culture and hurt the sentiments of Odisha’s people.

On Tuesday, Shah Rukh Khan and AR Rahman will perform during the opening ceremony of Men’s Hockey World Cup at Kalinga stadium.