My daughter thought we'd have to leave Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan

Even though the occasion was a press conference for the launch of an innerwear product that Shah Rukh Khan endorses, most of the conversation on Saturday revolved around Khan's latest run-in with the Shiv Sena.

Calling the spat between the party and himself a misunderstanding, Khan said, "Talking about better relationships with another country (Pakistan) doesn't make me anti-national. I believe it's wrong to brand an entire nation in a certain way because some of their people are miscreants." Khan cited the example of a recent case where a nine-year-old Russian girl was sexually molested in Goa. "Would it be right for Russians to think of all Indians as rapists?" he asked.

'My daughter wanted to know if we'd have to leave Mumbai'
Reiterating his respect for Sena chief Bal Thackeray, Khan said that his ideology was different from that of the Sena's and that was where the disparity ended.

"However, I stand for what I said and am ready to face the consequences. But it's not right for my movie to be dragged in because a lot of money and the hard work of more than 250 people have gone into making it," Khan said, referring to threats from the party that they would stall the release of his film My Name Is Khan in Mumbai if he didn't apologise for his comments. "Arts, culture and sports bring people, cities and countries together and they should be left free," said Khan.

Just back from a promotional tour for the film abroad, the actor said he was worried for the safety of his wife and children while he was away.

"I almost feel apologetic to the Mumbai police — they are following me and my family around to make sure we are safe. There are barricades around my house and a lot of policemen are guarding it — it's not exactly a happy situation to be in. While talking to my daughter on the phone, she asked me if we would be asked to leave Mumbai," he said.

Clarifying why his team Kolkata Knight Riders did not pick Pakistani player, Abdul Razzaq, Khan said that the decision about who would be picked rested with the team's think tank — captain Saurav Ganguly and coach Dav Whatmore.

"We were clear we wanted one player, ideally an all-rounder. We were considering Razzaq but were told the night before the auction that he was suffering from a wrist injury. The choice was then between Kemar Roach, from the West Indies, and Shane Bond from New Zealand, and we went with Bond," said Khan.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_my-daughter-thought-we-d-have-to-leave-mumbai-shah-rukh-khan_1344340