Actors, politicians make beeline for Salman house

MNS chief Raj Thackeray and actor Aamir Khan (below) meet Salman Khan at his Mumbai residence Thursday.(Source: PTI)

Soon after the Bombay High Court granted an interim two-day bail to Salman Khan, the actor returned to his residence in Bandra’s Galaxy Apartments where friends and family flocked to offer their support.

Among those seen at the actor’s house on Wednesday evening were actresses and close friends of the star Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee and Sonakshi Sinha, brothers Arbaaz and Sohail Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, Salman’s sisters Arpita and Alvira with the latter’s husband Atul Agnihotri.

Other well wishers included Sangeeta Bijlani, Bipasha Basu, T Series head Bhushan Kumar and Kishan Kumar, Chunky Pandey, Daisy Shah, Pulkit Sharma, music duo Sajid-Wajid, Rashmi Nigam and Shaina NC.

Visitors flowed in Thursday too as director Karan Johar and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray stopped by to pay the actor a quick visit. Aamir Khan also visited and cameras caught a glimpse as he exchanged a hug with Salman before he left.

The outpouring of sympathy for the actor, coming right after some apparently insensitive comments on homeless people who sleep on Mumbai’s pavements, led some to question if Bollywood needs to introspect.

Adman Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director of Ogilvy South Asia, said public personalities should measure their words more carefully. “Law is law. After having read the tweets of Abhijeet and Farah Khan Ali, I am ashamed of them. You have no right to speak like that on the life of laymen like this, “ Pandey said.

On whether it was poor timing for stars to show up at Khan’s apartment when his appeal is pending, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC said her support to Khan does not take away from her respect for the law of the land. “Our support does not mean that we respect the judiciary system any less. We know that he made a mistake and that he’s paying for it. We need to instill the sense of faith that if Salman Khan cannot get away with it, no one else can,” she said.

Others advised the stars to weigh their words before they become vocal on public platforms. Adman Rahul D’Cunha said, “One cannot act so sympathetic towards him only because he is an actor. He has killed a guy and if he was so good, he should have come out 13 years ago to give himself up to the court. Let us not express our judgments, let’s wait till the final verdict comes out.”

Not all those who have worked closely with Khan felt the need to show their solidarity. While adman Prahlad Kakkar said biased views must not be entertained, K V sridhar, India CEO SapientNitro, said, “I have been working with Salman Khan for quite a long time now and I also know him very well. However, I would still say a mistake is a mistake.”

MNS man moves SC against interim bail to Salman

New Delhi: A Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) worker moved the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of the two day-interim bail granted to actor Salman Khan following his conviction and a five-year jail term in the 2002 hit-and-run case on Wednesday. The development took place on a day MNS chief Raj Thackerey met the actor and his family members in Mumbai. ENS

Source:: Indian Express