Indian actor Aamir Khan enjoyed movie classic Forrest Gump so much that he’s starring in a Hindi remake of the iconic film – but it’s facing the threat of a boycott.
Nearly 30 years after the release of the masterpiece that starred Tom Hanks, Khan is taking on the role of titular character Laal Singh Chaddha.
It took a decade for him to secure the movie rights, and big changes have been made to the script to root it firmly in Indian history and culture.
The film will see Bollywood star Khan return to the big screen after a gap of four years.
The film is out on Thursday, so audiences in India will be hearing “Run, Laal, Run!”.
But it hasn’t been plain sailing for Khan and his “labour of love”, with the movie currently subject to calls for a boycott.
The criticism reportedly stems from resurfaced comments the actor made in which he discussed tolerance in India, according to the Hindustan Times.
Nearly 50 people killed by lightning in a week amid India’s monsoon season
Spiked alcohol in western India causes more than 20 deaths, while at least 30 others fall ill
Twitter suing Indian government over orders to block content and suspend accounts
The hashtag #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha has been trending on Twitter.
Speaking in Delhi on Wednesday, he said: “If I have hurt anyone by any means, I regret it. I don’t want to hurt anyone.
“If someone doesn’t want to watch the film, I’d respect their sentiment.”
But he added; “I’d, however, love for people to go watch the movie because it’s our labour of love.
“A lot of people have worked hard on this film, and I hope people like it.”
Forrest Gump was released in 1994 and went on to sweep the Oscars, taking six trophies including best picture and best actor for Tom Hanks.
