I respect decision by government, says Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan said in a statement: “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.” Aamir said it had been an “honour and a pleasure” for him to be the “brand ambassador for the Incredible India campaign for the past 10 years”.

He then went on to add: “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... Whether I am brand ambassador or not, India will remain Incredible, and that’s the way it should be.”

Prasoon Joshi, head of McCann Worldwide agency, said: “We at McCann had a contractual agreement with the ministry of tourism for a social awareness campaign ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. Aamir Khan had graciously lent his support for the same. We have delivered the campaign to the ministry.”

Calling Aamir’s removal as “proof of intolerance”, many took to Twitter to express their anger. Singer-composer Vishal Dadlani called it a “Bizarre & openly-biased move by govt! @aamir_khan is one of the most credible people around. ‘Incredible India’ campaign will lose out!”, he tweeted.