Mon 17 August 2020:
Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan received world-renowned Bollywood star and director Aamir Khan on Saturday at the presidential residence at the Huber Mansion in Istanbul.
The meeting was requested by Khan, who informed Erdogan about social responsibility projects he has initiated, including the Water Foundation, which he and his wife established to deliver water to drought-stricken areas in India.
Khan said the first lady is carrying out very important social projects and following humanitarian aid activities, and she congratulated him for his courageous handling of social problems in his films.
He said his wife lived a short time in Turkey, leading her to closely socialize with Turks, and the two communities have a lot of similarities as the discussion drew attention to the common family structure in India and Turkey, as well as the similarity of common word roots in the languages of both communities.
The rich historical texture of food culture and handicrafts of the two countries were also among topics of conversation.
Khan shared memories of how he came to the cinema under the influence of his Muslim mother.
He stopped shooting his movie, Laal Singh Chaddha, an adaption of the 1994 classic film, Forrest Gump, because of the novel coronavirus outbreak in India, and started looking for alternative locations in Turkey to shoot.
He is expected to shoot the rest of the movie in multiple Turkish provinces including Nigde, Adana and Istanbul and invited the first lady to attend the film set.
Earlier, the Indian actor visited the Adana province, meeting fans who thronged to meet the Bollywood star.
However Aamir meeting the first lady didn’t go well with Hindu right wing who seemed to be unhappy with the actor amid strained ties between India and Turkey.
India’s relationship with Turkey has deteriorated in the past several months, particularly after Article 370 was scrapped in Kashmir last year. A Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson recently also commented that removal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir has not contributed to peace and stability in the region.
Aamir’s meeting with Turkey’s First lady enraged many right-wing Hindu brigade and they took to Twitter to lash out at the 55-year-old actor.
Did #AamirKhan met Turkey’s President,Erdogan and his family as an Actor or as Ambassador of somebody else?
This meeting shouldn’t be taken as an ordinary meeting. pic.twitter.com/ViyPyyh4Df— #TheRhino (@TheRhino2131) August 16, 2020
Once Aamir Khan refused to meet India’s friend Israel’s PM.
Today He is meeting Anti Ind Erdogan
As we all know Turkey opposed abrogation of Article 370. Openly support Pak
Choose your heroes wisely. #AamirKhan pic.twitter.com/obLu6yseEP
— Narendra Modi fan (@narendramodi177) August 16, 2020
#AamirKhan who avoided meeting Benjamin Netanyahu, an Indian friend, meets Turkish First Lady, Emine Erdogan at a time when #Turkey is openly backing Pakistan on state sponsored terrorism and cornering India on Kashmir.
Time for Aamir to feel unsafe in India again pic.twitter.com/WmAV3gFHnY
— SMS Bharat (@bharat_sms) August 17, 2020
The likes of #AamirKhan can go ahead and meet the top most leaders of Turkey, a nation which is now very friendly with the enemies of our country, is because they fear zero retaliation from citizens of this country.
Many went ahead and even watched Dangal.
Each one teach one…
— Ashu (@muglikar_) August 16, 2020
Today Amir Khan met wife of Turkish President,Turkish President is openly known for his pro Radical islamist policies and anti-Bharat Stance.
yet an influencer like Aamir Khan meets his wife. What may be the reason behind this meet?
My #thread on this …..
(1/7) pic.twitter.com/8Jo4JqdlOI— Pandeyji_Speaks (@malhar_pandey) August 16, 2020
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