Compliments to Pakistan shouldn't be construed as anti-Indian, says Naseeruddin Shah

It isn't easy for Indian celebrities to speak up for Pakistan, and those who do, are almost always faced with a backlash.

Naseeruddin Shah was trolled on Twitter following comments he made in praise of Pakistan at the launch of a book by Pakistan's former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

In an interview with India Today, Shah said that he believed that he was targeted because he was a Muslim:

"My name is Naseeruddin Shah and I believe that's why I was targeted. It really pains me to say this. I have never ever been aware of my identity until now."

He added that lawyer AG Noorani and veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar made some hard-hitting comments at the event, but only his views were picked up and distorted as anti-national.

“I do not actually understand why anything said as a compliment to Pakistan must be construed as anti-Indian. If I say Imran Khan is great, does that make Sunil Gavaskar any less a cricketer,” the Bollywood actor asked.

More than 40 writers recently returned their awards in protest against the lynching of a Muslim man in Dadri and a series of murders of writers and rationalists, but Shah neither considers the move necessary nor beneficial.

"Awards mean nothing to me and therefore I won't bother returning them," Shah said, adding that the writers should write strongly about issues in India rather than returning their awards.