Aamir Khan, 55, is a brand ambassador for Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, and is also a major draw on the mainland with films such as Dangal (2016). He even has 1.16 million followers on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo. But this week the hardline Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Hindu group put the actor on the cover of its magazine, calling him “The Dragon’s favourite Khan”, a reference to China. Also criticising Khan’s ties with Turkey — which has slammed India over Kashmir — the article said he was “forging friendships with those that are considered enemies of India”.
“Aamir seems to be the favourite of the Chinese Communist Party system and the fact his movies are doing so well is an indication that he is being promoted by Chinese state,” the editor of the weekly Hitesh Shankar told a news website. Khan was the target of a vicious online campaign in 2015 and forced out of several advertisement campaigns after he said his wife feared for the safety of their children in India. At the time India was reeling under a climate of insecurity following the lynching of a Muslim man for allegedly eating beef, which many Hindus believe is sacriligeous.
