Shatrughan Sinha says Shah Rukh Khan didn’t thank him for defending Aryan Khan: ‘He should have gotten in touch with me’

Shatrughan Sinha was among the several celebs from Bollywood who spoke against Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan’s arrest last year. After Aryan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau and kept in custody for close to a month, the veteran actor criticised the agency. Subsequently, he claimed that NCB was excessively harsh on Aryan and victimised him. After Aryan was given clean chit last week, Shatrughan said his stand was vindicated. However, in a recent interview, the actor-politician added that he did not receive any word of thanks from Shah Rukh for his support. Also read: Aryan Khan case: Shatrughan Sinha calls NCB’s clean chit too little, too late: ‘I can understand Shah Rukh Khan’s pain’

Aryan was arrested in October last year after the NCB carried out a raid on a cruise ship near Mumbai. In May, the charge sheet filed by the agency exonerated the 24-year-old after it did not mention his name in its list of accused and stated that no drugs were found on him. Shatrugan Sinha had been among the most vocal critics of NCB and supporters of Aryan over months.

Speaking with Nation Next after Aryan’s clean chit, the actor said, “As a parent, I felt Shah Rukh Khan’s pain. Even if he was guilty, instead of rehabilitating him, they locked him up… I should also say that, as expected, I didn’t receive a thank you card from Shah Rukh, even though I was maybe the most prominent voice standing up for Aryan in all of Mumbai. But I have a habit of calling a spade a spade, and for standing up for what is right. I stood up against what I believed was an injustice. As far as Shah Rukh is concerned, I didn’t receive any thanks or a thank you card from him.”

When asked if he had reached out to Shah Rukh, Shatrughan said, “No, absolutely not. Why would I, I don’t need work from him. I don’t need to get in touch with him, in fact, he should have gotten in touch with me.” However, he added that Shah Rukh had never sought his support as well. “But, to be fair to him, he didn’t ask me for support either,” he said.

Shatrughan was last seen on screen in the 2018 film Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se, in which he played a supporting role. The actor is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Asansol. He has previously served as a minister in the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.