’I’m a Muslim but...’: Aamir Khan speaks about the ’power of namaste’ on The Great Indian Kapil Show

In a first for any of Kapil Sharma's shows, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan made an appearance in the latest episode of Netflix's The Great Indian Kapil Show. At the show, Aamir talked about anecdotes from his career. In one of the stories, he shared his experience in Punjab in 2016, from the time he was shooting for 'Dangal'.

Aamir, while fondly remembering the humility of the people of Punjab, told Kapil that it was at that time he learnt the "power of Namaste".

'Punjabi culture is full of love'

Sharing a story from Punjab which was "very close" to him, Aamir in Hindi said that he was in the state for the shoot of Rang de Basanti. "I really loved it there. The people, the Punjabi culture is full of love."

He added that the next time he went to Punjab was for the shoot of Dangal, in a small Punjab village.

Aamir shared that the locals would gather to greet him early in the morning and then at the time of pack-up. However, what stood out for the Bollywood actor was that they never disturbed him.

“We shot for more than two months in that location and that house. You won't believe it, but when I used to reach there at around 5 or 6 in the morning, as my car entered, people would stand outside their homes just to welcome me with folded hands and ‘Sat Sri Akaal’.” 

“They used to just wait to welcome me. They never disturbed me, never stopped my car, nothing. After my pack-up, when I would return, they would again be standing outside their homes and would greet me ‘Good Night’.”

'It's such a wonderful emotion'

Being from a Muslim family, Aamir said he wasn't use to folding hands and greeting people with 'namaste.'

"I belong to a Muslim family, I am not used to folding my hands in 'namaste.' I'm used to raising my hand (gesturing adaab, the way Muslims greet each other) and bowing my head," he said.

"After spending those two and a half months in Punjab, I understood the power of 'namaste.' It's such a wonderful emotion. People in Punjab have so much respect for everyone and do not discriminate based on stature," he added.