In an interesting turn of events, Aamir Khan has decided to stick to the mega project that is Gulshan Kumar’s biopic, Mogul. Helmed by disgraced director, Subhash Kapoor, the project saw some setbacks earlier as Aamir pulled out from it in the midst of the #MeToo movement which saw Subhash being accused of predatory behavior.
His decision to return to the project, which he previously was the producer of as well, is based on his belief that a person is innocent till proven guilty, and that the verdict ultimately lies with the courts. Although the lengthy explanation that the star gave to the Hindustan Times seems a bit too forced, it details his justification for the bold step.
Talking about his earlier involvement in the biopic, he relayed how he was unaware of any case against Subhash Kapoor when he first signed on as a producer. “Last year, during the MeToo movement, mention of this case (against Subhash Kapoor) came up. That’s when we got to know about it, and we were most disturbed. Kiran and I spoke about it at length. We were in a big dilemma for more than a week,†he said.
Subhash Kapoor was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct last year that resulted in Aamir Khan walking out of ‘Mogul’.
“Kiran and I have zero tolerance for any sexual misconduct. But without an ICC ruling, or a court ruling, how are we to decide whether the accused person is guilty or not. We are in no position to do that. Who are we to believe? The person making the accusation? Or the person who has been accused? And how long will the case go on? How long are we to wait to decide?” he went on, expressing his dilemma over the situation.
Read: ‘Even if he is proven guilty I’d work with Subhash Ghai,’ says Shatrughan Sinha
He then proceeded to make it into an emotional rant more so an informed one, mentioning how he realized that his decision to not work with Subhash had inadvertently caused him to lose out on his livelihood. “Mr Kapoor was removed from the film. T-series terminated his contract. Then, we heard that Mr Kapoor was also dropped from some other projects which were in the development stage, which were in the pipeline. That really troubled us because we felt that our action had inadvertently cost a person – who is yet to be tried in a court of law – to lose his livelihood. And for how long? Is it for one year? Or ten years? We don’t know. What if he is innocent?” he questioned.
It’s interesting to note that this narrative appears to be emotional but it seems as though a lot of careful thought has gone into it. “At that time I felt that was the right step to take, so I took that. Today I feel differently,” he concluded.
The movie, aptly titled Mogul, will follow the life journey of music mogul, Gulshan Kumar, who established T-Series as the leading music labels in the region.
