Deep Saxena | January 16, 2014
Salman Khan has no regrets about participating in the recently held Saifai Mahotsav in Uttar Pradesh. “A large number of people came and saw us (other Bollywood stars such as Madhuri Dixit and Mallika Sherawat) free of cost. I was very happy to be there as the masses enjoyed,” Khan told HT City during a teleconference to promote his forthcoming film Jai Ho.
The UP government has faced a volley of criticism for organising the star-studded event at chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s ancestral village at a time when children affected by the Muzaffarnagar riots were dying of the cold in relief camps. Some reports even claimed Rs. 300 crore was spent on the glitzy event.
But when asked if it was true that he would be performing for Muzaffarnagar victims, he clarified, “I have never said that. Yes, we have taken responsibility for the surgery of 200 paediatric heart patients. The children have been moved to Fortis Hospital in New Delhi and 34 surgeries have already been done. More will be performed there and at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Hospital.”
On checking if his film Jai Ho, which is being promoted as the common man’s story, had anything to do with the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) growth story, he said, “We launched this film two years back. Kejriwal was nowhere in the political scene then.”
What about his own political affiliations? “I am an actor and have nothing to do with politics,” pat came the reply.
Hindustan Times