Growing intolerance row: Anupam Kher asks PM Modi to meet him during 'tolerance march', slams Arundhati Roy

Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Friday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be an audience to share with him the thoughts of "millions of Indians".

Kher, who will lead a 'March For India' to protest the voices being raised over "intolerance" in the country, made the request on Twitter.

Dear PM @narendramodi Ji. Please give us time tom to share with you d thoughts of millions of Indians all over d world.:) #IndiaIsTolerant

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) November 6, 2015

Have requested PM @narendramodi ji to meet us tomorrow so that we #MarchForIndia people can share our thoughts with him. #IndiaIsTolerant

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) November 6, 2015

Anupam Kher will be joined by a string of artistes, writers and painters for the march.

Looking forward to meeting all proud Indians tomorrow at 10am at National Museum, Janpath. Jai Ho.:) #MarchForIndia #IndiaIsTolerant

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) November 6, 2015

Earlier on Friday, coming down heavily on Booker Prize-winning novelist Arundhati Roy for joining the chorus of protest against 'growing intolerance' and 'shaming' India on a global level, veteran actor Anupam Kher on Friday said that he often wondered, taking note of her 'anti-national' speeches, if she was even an Indian.

"Arundhati Roy has always insulted India whenever she has gone abroad. Whenever I listen to her speeches, I wonder if she even is an Indian in the first place. There is a video of her giving a speech in Australia and when you listen to it, the way she has described a state of horror in India is ridiculous. Mudslinging your own country when you want to obtain a grant or an honour from another nation is despicable," Kher told ANI in an exclusive interview.

Talking about his 'counter-march' against the 'intolerance' protest, the Bollywood icon said that the so called ?atmosphere of fear? that was being portrayed by protesters was not something that was recent, but something that the nation had been facing and dealing with since ages.

"No Indian can tolerate when the nation is being insulted on a global level and there are those who are doing that right now. They feel that ever since the new government has come into power, the nation has plunged into a state of intolerance. This is not a fresh atmosphere. What about the Emergency, the Kashmiri pandits' exodus and the riots? What is today's level of intolerance being compared to?" Kher asked.

Rubbishing rumours that he was a sympathiser of the BJP, Kher said that he was not political, but just an Indian who loved his nation.

"My intentions are not political. I am just proud and thankful of the fact that this nation has given me so much. I was just a small guy from a small town, but look where I am right now. Sometimes you have to give back," Kher said. He also admitted that he was concerned about his acting career as he has waded into murky waters with his stand.

"I have no problem with the protest and if someone is expressing their views. As a matter of fact, I have friends and colleagues who are part of the protest on the other side. However, I wonder now that the people would think twice before casting me as I have got in myself in this state of affairs. But sometimes, the nation comes before profession. I have done 491 movies in my life and I have seen what has been happening in the nation, but you need to remember that this is not an actor speaking but a person who loves his country," Kher said.

Questioning the 'Award Wapsi' trend, the actor said how could the protesters say that their freedom was being suppressed when they were openly being allowed to demonstrate and agitate.

"What can be a bigger example of freedom when on a daily basis you are saying things against the nation? There are those who have come out and openly expressed their dislike for the Prime Minister. The press has been given unmatched freedom to say whatever they want. I respect everyone's views, but when someone slams my nation and insults it on an international level, it angers and saddens me," Kher said.

He expressed his confidence that if the agitating literary icons and artists made an attempt to convey their message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi then their pleas would not go unheard.

"I have written to the Prime Minister and also tweeted to him so that he gives me the time to speak to him. I also want to convey to him the message from the other side," he added.

Expressing his anger on the fact that India was being projected as a model of intolerance in the global arena, Kher said that the protesters should not resort to taking the issue on an international level as it besmirches the nation's image.

"When there is a fight in your family and you have issues with your father, you don't go to the rooftop and shout it out for the whole world to hear, you keep it within the family and try to resolve it. The same thing applies here. How will your father know there is a problem until you tell him? If the Prime Minister had said it outright that he does not want to meet anyone, then returning the awards could be justified but they have not even approached him," Kher said.

Talking about his march where Kher has invited all Indians to head to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to protest the voices being raised over "intolerance" in the country, the actor said that even if five people turned up tomorrow it would be significant enough for him.

Kher's march comes in the wake of several filmmakers, writers and historians raising their voices against the rising intolerance and threatening the government with 'Award Wapsi' to vent their ire.