Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has clarified his recent remarks on Shekhar Suman’s Shekhar Tonight after a video from the show triggered criticism on social media.
Dutt said the comments were part of a scripted and light-hearted conversation and that he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of any individual, community or organisation.
The 67-year-old actor issued a statement on Sunday after the controversy surrounding his comment that he “doesn’t feel the same peace in India” gained attention online.
“I want to make it clear that my intention was never to hurt the sentiments of any individual, community or organisation. My comments were part of a scripted and light-hearted conversation,” Dutt said.
He added that the conversation was intended to convey a message of love, harmony and brotherhood, similar to the “Gandhigiri” approach associated with his popular Munna Bhai character.
“Unfortunately, my words were taken out of context,” he said.
During the show, Dutt had appeared to speak in the persona of his Munna Bhai character. He said that if he became the prime minister of the country, he would not spend most of his time outside India, would promote harmony among people and would replace his own pictures with portraits of Mahatma Gandhi.
The actor’s clarification comes amid the online debate over the remarks and their interpretation.
