Pakistani celebrity Adnan Siddiqui criticized Aamir Liaquat Hussain for mocking the demise of Bollywood actors.
The actor appeared on MNA Amir Liaquat Hussain’s Ramzan show Jeevay Pakistan on Friday. During a conversation, Aamir Liaquat said that late Bollywood actors Sri Devi and Irrfan Khan had one thing in common-they both had worked with Adnan Siddiqui.
He went on to add that the reason Rani Mukherjee and Bipasha Basu are alive because Adnan Siddiqui had rejected movies opposite these actors. Aamir Liaquat Hussain added that Adnan Siddiqui turned down the movie with Rani Mukherjee-Mardaani 2. But the actor has worked with Sri Devi in the movie Mom and with Irrfan Khan in A Mighty Heart.
Speechless- this is just beyond horrific. Yet time and time again he is rehired. @adnanactor could not contain his disgust at what he was being forced to hear. To make light of someone’s death. Just appalling yet there will be no accountability. https://t.co/SEoDzWXUjC
— Maheen Ghani (@maheenghani_) May 1, 2020
A video circulating on social media showed Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s callous remarks had upset Adnan Siddiqui. Later, the actor expressed his regret on Hussain’s thoughtless remarks in a social media post.
Adnan Siddiqui’s reaction
Adnan Siddiqui posted an apologetic note on his Twitter account that condemned the unpleasant remarks by a serving MNA.
According to Siddiqui, Aamir Liaquat joked about an extremely sensitive matter. “Not only were they both close to me but also as a human it was wrong on so many levels. I cannot even call it ‘hitting below the belt’,” he wrote.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qXys0HgfW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“It was an extremely callous act to joke about the deceased. This is in very bad taste, not only does it show him and me but also the entire country in a bad light,” he added.
Adnan Siddiqui apologized to the families of deceased actors.
Host apologized
A few hours later, Aamir Liaquat Hussain posted his video on Instagram in which he apologized for his remarks. He said, “Sometimes you can get carried away with what you’re saying on a live show”. “Hope we all can move on with this now. May Allah blesses us in this holy month,” he added further.
He said a video of few seconds went viral on social media while he had appreciated the Bollywood actors in the same program.
He released a video probably after a backlash on social media. The Pakistani Twitter users were quick to comment on the controversy. The deceased Bollywood actors were equally mourned in Pakistan. A cross-section of social media users decried his remarks and asked him to apologize.
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This is not the first time, Aamir Liaquat Hussain has been in the crossfire for inappropriate comments. The politician-cum-host has triggered several controversies in the past.
Aamir Liaquat’s background
He is a PTI legislature and National Assembly of Pakistan since 2018 and served the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007. He was appointed the Minister of State for Religious Affairs from 2004 to 2007 in the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
In 2001, he made his TV appearance as an Islamic scholar and hosted a religious program Aalim Online on Geo TV. In 2010, he joined ARY Digital Network as Managing Director of ARY, QTV, and as Executive Director of ARY Digital. He hosted religious program Aalim Aur Aalam there. Since then, he has been switching media channels. He has worked virtually with all the leading media networks in Pakistan.
Being a religious scholar, he has been in news for his comments on the religious minorities. In 2011, a compilation of Aamir Liaquat Hussain’s behind-the-scenes videos created a storm on social media. The video showed host using profanities on the set, mocked guest scholars and laughed at rape scenes from Bollywood movies.
Read more: Imran Khan welcomes Aamir Liaquat: Is PTI compromising on its ideology?
The international organizations have accused him of endangering the lives of journalists, people of religious minorities through his hostile remarks. PEMRA had banned him from appearing on TV following complaints.
Meanwhile, the loss of two famed Bollywood actors, Irrfan Khan, and Rishi Kapoor within a passage of one day has rocked India. The death of another actor, Rishi Kapoor from merciless cancer has pushed India into disbelief.