Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has offered words of support for Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan after his son was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau with 7 others after a raid on a ‘rave party’ being conducted on a Mumbai-Goa luxury cruise. Tharoor said he is “repelled by the ghoulish epicaricacy (which means to derive pleasure from others’ misfortunes)” by those who are ‘witch-hunting’ SRK over his son’s arrest.
“I am no fan of recreational drugs & haven’t ever tried any, but I am repelled by the ghoulish epicaricacy displayed by those now witch-hunting @iamsrk on his son’s arrest. Have some empathy, folks. The public glare is bad enough; no need to gleefully rub a 23yr old’s face in it (sic),” Tharoor tweeted.
Earlier, Bollywood actor Pooja Bhatt and director Hansal Mehta had also taken to Twitter to voice support for SRK.
Hours after Aryan's arrest, Bollywood actor Salman Khan arrived at Shah Rukh's residence, Mannat, to pay him a visit. While so far Salman has been the only one to visit the 55-year-old actor, colleagues of the superstar have rallied behind him on social media.
Mehta took to Twitter and wrote that it was "painful" when people arrive at judgements on children, adding he stands with Shah Rukh during the difficult time.
"It is painful for a parent having to deal with a child getting into trouble. It gets compounded when people begin to arrive at judgements before the law takes its course. It is disrespectful and unfair to the parent and to the parent-child relationship. With you @iamsrk," the director of the series Scam 1992 wrote.
Bhatt, who worked with Shah Rukh in the 1996 film Chaahat, took to Twitter and wrote, "I stand in solidarity with you @iamsrk Not that you need it. But I do. This too, shall pass."
Hours before Aryan's arrest, Shah Rukh's "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa" co-star Suchitra Krishnamoorthi tweeted that she is praying for the family. "Nothing harder for a parent than seeing their child in distress. Prayers to all," she wrote.
In a subsequent tweet, Krishnamoorthi noted how the Hindi film industry ends up becoming an unfortunate soft target.
"For all those targetting #Bollywood remember all the #NCB raids on film stars? Yes nothing was found and nothing was proved. #Bollywood gawking is a tamasha. It's the price of fame (sic)," she added.
During a promotional event in Delhi on Sunday, actor Suniel Shetty also shared his views on the intense media scrutiny on Bollywood. Before Aryan was arrested, Shetty urged people to "give the child a breather".
"Whenever something happens in the industry, the media goes all out. Give the child an opportunity. Let the real reports come out. He is a child, taking care of him is our responsibility," the actor told reporters.
The NCB team, led by its zonal director Sameer Wankhede, raided the Goa-bound ship on Saturday evening based on a tip-off that a party was scheduled onboard. The sleuths seized 13 grams of cocaine, five grams of MD, 21 grams of charas and 22 pills of Ecstasy and Rs 1.33 lakh.
The NCB on Sunday said it had evidence suggesting a nexus between three persons it had arrested, including Aryan, and suppliers and peddlers of drugs and banned narcotic substances regularly.
"Prima facie investigation conducted by the NCB reveals that there is incriminating material in the form of WhatsApp chats and so on that clearly shows the nexus with the arrested accused (Aryan Khan and two others) with suppliers and peddlers on a regular basis," the NCB said in its remand note.
With PTI inputs