JOIN USIndia will remain incredible with or without me: Aamir
Actor Aamir Khan on Thursday accepted his exit as the ‘Incredible India’ campaign brand ambassador, saying India will remain incredible with or without him.
The prominent names doing the rounds for Khan’s replacement included Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra.
While the Tourism Ministry refrained from officially disclosing the names being considered for the new brand ambassador of Incredible India campaign, official sources suggested that Bachchan would be the first choice.
Bachchan is currently the brand ambassador of Gujarat tourism.
Ministry sources said the possibility of making Bachchan the next brand ambassador of the Incredible India campaign was bright as Gujarat tourism got a boost ever since the megastar was roped in.
A news agency quoted the 73-year-old Bachchan as saying that he would not mind being a part of the campaign.
“Nobody has asked me, but if they do, yes, I would be more than willing to,” he said.
Amitabh’s reaction
On the controversy over removal of Aamir Khan from the campaign, Bachchan was quoted as saying: “I think you need to clarify first whether he is being removed because of something that he may have said or it’s the end of his contract. I am sure there must be some kind of difference there. I don’t think people are removed just because they did not agree or said something that is controversial.”
In a statement, Aamir Khan maintained that it was the prerogative of the government to decide who should be the brand ambassador of Incredible India campaign.
“I respect the decision of the government to discontinue with my services. I am sure they will take all appropriate steps to do what is best for the country. Whether I am brand ambassador or not, India will remain Incredible, and that’s the way it should be,” he said.
He said it was “an honour and a pleasure” to be the brand ambassador for the campaign for the past 10 years.
“I was happy to be of service to my country, and will always be available for it. I would like to clarify that all public service films I have done till date have all been free of any cost to me,” he added.