Reacting to the flak that actor Salman Khan received for his tweets about terrorist Yakub Memon, actor Riteish Deshmukh said that the superstar’s remarks were misunderstood and most of the reactions were premature.
On July 26, Khan posted a series of tweets suggesting that Memon was innocent and should not be hanged for the acts of his brother, Tiger Memon, which sparked protests outside his home where police had to be deployed.
Memon was convicted for his involvement in the 1993 Bombay bombings and executed on July 30.
Outrage on social media and criticism from his father Salim Khan led Khan to withdraw his tweets and apologise.
“Every person can have an opinion and should have an opinion. What Salman tweeted was very clear in what he said and with the feedback that he got, he took it back. Most of the people have reacted to the tweets without understanding the tweets. He respected the judiciary,” Deshmukh told reporters at an event in Mumbai.
“The only problem with social media is that people react prematurely without understanding and then it becomes a right or wrong thing leading to debates. It becomes an issue and political parties come in,” he said.
Deshmukh also feels that Bollywood celebrities have become soft targets.
“[That’s why] we as actors shy away from giving away opinions in public domain... but everyone has a right to have an opinion,” he added.
