"You Became Ayesha Begum For Marriage": Mukesh Khanna Hits Back At Sharmila Tagore Over Vande Mataram Remark

Mukesh Khanna has once again found himself in the spotlight for another controversial statement. The veteran actor weighed in on the ongoing debate surrounding Vande Mataram and remarks made by Sharmila Tagore about singing the national song in its entirety. Known for his roles as Shaktimaan and Bhishma in Mahabharat, Mukesh did not hold back while sharing his opinion on the matter. 

In an interview with Free Press Journal, Mukesh Khanna was asked about Sharmila Tagore's view that only the opening stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung, considering India's religious diversity and the sentiments of people from different faiths. In response, the actor questioned the rationale behind limiting the national song on religious grounds. He maintained that religious considerations should not influence how Vande Mataram is approached or treated.

“She is speaking according to her own understanding. I don't know why she said it. Maybe while explaining her point of view, she ended up saying that people from other religions may not understand or accept it,” Mukesh said.

The actor also referred to Sharmila Tagore's marriage into the Pataudi family while questioning her position on the Vande Mataram debate. He addressed her as “Ayesha Begum” during his remarks.

“Did you realise only after marriage that Islam also exists? When you became a Begum, did you then realise that Muslims follow a different faith? You became Ayesha Begum for marriage, but today you are speaking as Ayesha Begum. I'm surprised that after living your whole life with Hinduism, you have suddenly become concerned about other religions,” he said.

Mukesh also spoke about Sharmila Tagore's Bengali background, pointing out that she was raised with cultural and religious traditions such as Kali Puja.

“You grew up in Bengal, where Kali Puja is celebrated on such a large scale. You have grown up with Bengali culture and Bengali films. Why is it only now that you feel that people from another religion may not accept this?” he asked.

The actor claimed that historical objections to Vande Mataram from sections of the Muslim community were not limited to references to Hindu deities in the later verses. He said another concern stemmed from the belief that Muslims are meant to bow only before God.

 “Their objection did not begin today. The argument has been that they bow only before Khuda and therefore would not bow before anyone else,” he said.