After #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha, #BoycottRakshaBandhanMovie trends: Know why Akshay Kumar's film is being trolled

On August 11, two Bollywood films namely Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan starring superstars  Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar, respectively, will be hitting the theatres. While there's much anticipation among the audience given that the films are touted to have brilliant stories and are resting on the shoulders of stars with massive fan following, there's a boycott trend on social media that has gained momentum of late.

After the viral #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha trend that got the lead cast of the film Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor talking, now netizens have been trending #BoycottRakshaBandhanMovie.

The Akshay Kumar starrer has run into a row after the writer Kanika Dhillon's allegedly Hinduphobic tweets surfaced online. Several tweets of the writer in which she has apparently targeted the BJP and PM Narendra Modi recently went viral on social media. Some netizens even claimed that Kanika has repeatedly attacked Hindu beliefs and religious sentiments and suggested that she and her film should be boycotted. In several of her tweets, Kanika Dhillon was seen invoking 'Gau mata' to take potshots at the government.  

READ: Naga Chaitanya reacts to Laal Singh Chaddha's box office clash with Akshay Kumar's Raksha Bandhan | Exclusive

Meanwhile, a section of netizens have also dug up Akshay's old interviews where he is heard talking about people wasting milk whilst offering it to Lord Shiva. A tweet of Akshay's wishing actor Anupam Kher on the occassion of his birthday which happened to have falledn ohn the same day as Mahashivratri is also doing the rounds on social media. In it too, Akshay suggests the veteran star to not waste milk by offering it to the Lord but use it by donating it to someone.

These tweets and video interviews by actor Akshay Kumar and write Kanika Dhillion have triggered a massive controversy and netizens are calling for Raksha Bandhan's boycott.

Check out the tweets below:

Meanwhile, #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha too is trending on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Apparently, some Twitter users went through the archives and dug up Aamir Khan's controversial "India's growing intolerance" statement and circulated it on the micro-blogging site. Some of Kareena's controversial statements from the past have also been surfacing online.

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Talking about the controversial statement in question, in 2015, Aamir Khan said in an interview, "Our country is very tolerant, but there are people who spread ill-will." His wife Kiran Rao also made headlines for saying that she considered leaving the country for the safety of their children.

Another interview of Aamir's that has surfaced online is of him expressing his views on the 2002 riots in Gujarat. In his interview, Aamir had held then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, responsible for the killings in the state.

Netizens started calling the actor 'Anti-Hindu' and 'Anti-National' while circulating his quote and video from the old interview accompanied by the hashtag #LaalSinghChaddha.

Amid these old videos going viral, Aamir's latest reaction to the #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha trend where he's asking the audience to not boycott his film too hasn't been received well by the netizens.

Aamir recently said, "That Boycott Bollywood... Boycott Aamir Khan... Boycott Laal Singh Chaddha... I feel sad also because a lot of people who are saying this in their hearts believe I am someone who doesn't like India... In their hearts they believe that... And that's quite untrue," Aamir quoted as a saying. "I really love the country... That's how I am. It is rather unfortunate if some people feel that way.I want to assure everyone that it`s not the case so please don't boycott my films, please watch my films," he pleaded.

Laal Singh Chaddha's leading lady Kareena Kapoor Khan's reaction to the boycott trend too received flak on social media. Kareena said in an interview to India Today, "There are different platforms. Everyone has an opinion. So now, if that is going to be there, then you have to learn to ignore certain things. Otherwise, it will just become impossible to live your life. And that's why I don't take any of this like seriously."