Aamir Khan, the popular Bollywood actor of Three Idiots, has lately been under scrutiny which resulted from his remark criticizing India for intolerance. The extreme right group Shiv Sena was especially critical of Khan’s remark that they offered a reward to anyone who would slap him.
After the reward was announced, a website made by Miami Ad School students called SlapAamir.com gave people a chance to slap Khan virtually with a message that read, “Dear intolerant citizen of India, thank you for slapping Aamir Khan. We’ll make sure that your reward reaches you.” SlapAamir.com also made sure to let people know that its site was simply a lighthearted joke by sending out a message that said it did not represent any political views of the people involved.
After four days and 7.7 million registered slaps, the students of Miami Ad School decided that they had had enough of the fun and changed the site to KissAamir.com. The message now reads, “Dear tolerant citizen of India, thank you for kissing Aamir Khan. We will make sure that your love reaches him.”
The remark that spurned millions of virtual slaps was made when Khan attended an event in November. He had said he was alarmed over rising intolerance and his wife had even “suggested leaving the country.” The remark angered many Indians who viewed it as a betrayal of the country that made him a star. Khan later issued a statement, “Let me state categorically that 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.”
