This was expected... The Tourism Ministry has removed actor Aamir Khan as brand ambassador of Incredible India, news reports said.


In November last year, Aamir had courted controversy by saying that his wife, Kiran Rao, was considering whether to move out of the country with their child due to the prevalence of an atmosphere of "intolerance".

However, the actor had clarified that neither he nor his wife Kiran have any intention of leaving the country as he is proud to be an Indian.

In conversation with Anant Goenka, Wholetime Director & Head New Media, The Indian Express, at the eighth edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, Khan said a sense of "insecurity" and "fear" had seeped deep within society, even in his family.

"(Wife) Kiran and I have lived all our lives in India. For the first time, she said, should we move out of India? That's a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make to me. She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers everyday. That does indicate that there is a sense of growing disquiet," he said.

Asked for his view on the trend of writers, artists, historians and scientists returning their awards, Khan said this was one way of getting their point across. "For creative people, to voice what they feel is important. A number of creative people historians and scientists have increasingly had a certain feeling that they feel they need to express. One of the ways of expressing their dissatisfaction or disappointment is to return awards."