Farhan Akhtar does not have ‘very low IQ and very low general knowledge’. But we suspect that even if he did, he would still take offence to BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao’s statement that most Indian stars lack intelligence and awareness of current affairs.

https://twitter.com/FarOutAkhtar/status/922009582087544832

Tagging the BJP spokesperson, Farhan took to Twitter to demand, “How dare you, sir?” He sent a wake-up to his own fraternity, adding, “And to all film people in his ranks... Here's what he thinks of you. Shame sir.”

https://twitter.com/GVLNRAO/status/922145317763481601

Akhtar’s tweet has already been liked by over 3.8 thousand users and retweeted over 2000 times. The said BJP leader tried to step in to clarify, “Farhan ji, expressing an opinion is not a dare. Respect stars for work. Please do take criticism in stride. No intolerance, please!”…But the damage has evidently been done.

Rao had expressed his poor opinion of film stars during an interview given to Times Now, over the ongoing controversy on Tamil film Mersal. The film is winning the ire of the ruling party over certain scenes which are seen to be as critical of the BJP’s GST and Digital India initiatives. While criticising the film and its makers during the course of the interview, Rao stated, “In any case, most of our film stars have very low IQ, very low general knowledge.”

Film personalities from the South including Rajinikant, Kamal Haasan, director Ranjith, Arvind Swami, G V Prakash and others have been extending their support to the film, after the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP demanded removal of specific dialogues. Ironically, the controversies surrounding this Vijay-starrer have only boosted the popularity of this masala entertainer and made it a national talking point.

With Farhan’s swift and biting retort to the ‘low IQ’ allegations, expect the support to receive a further boost.