Author Amish Tripathi's Sharp Criticism On Bollywood's Misrepresenting History Goes Viral: We Think Khilji Looks Like Ranveer Singh, Akbar Like Hrithik Roshan

Critically acclaimed for penning the notable The Shiva Trilogy, author Amish Tripathi made pointed observations about Bollywood at the launch event of his latest book, The Chola Tigers: Avengers of Somnath. He expressed strong disapproval of the misrepresentation of India's biggest invaders in the Hindi cinema. He argued that by making popular Bollywood actors play the role, the movies are not sending the right message to the cinegoers. He made a special mention of Khilji and Akbar.

For the unversed, Hrithik Roshan played the role of Akbar in the Ashutosh Gowariker film Jodhaa Akbar (2008) while Ranveer Singh stepped in for the role of Alauddin Khilji in Bhansali's Padmaavat (2016). While the movies received mixed reviews, the performance of both actors was lauded by critics and cinegoers alike. Apart from the looks, Amish also clarified that the invaders spoke Persian or Turkish and not Urdu, as popularly shown in the movies.

Speaking at the event, media publications quoted Amish saying, “We think Alauddin Khilji looks like Ranveer Singh, Akbar looks like Hrithik Roshan, or Aurangzeb looks like Akshaye Khanna, which is not true. They were all from the steppes of Central Asia.” He also argued, "Khilji is shown as Ranveer Singh speaking Urdu, which makes him seem relatable and homegrown. That's not accurate."

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The author also pointed out that by starring the biggest stars as historically villainous characters, the films ‘distort’ perception. He added, “When we cast our biggest stars as invaders, we unknowingly distort perception. People start remembering them as heroic rather than destructive.”

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The cover of Amish's latest book, The Chola Tigers: Avengers of Somnath, was unveiled by superstar Rajinikanth in a private event in July. At the event, the bestselling author admitted being a big fan of the Coolie actor and recalled him praising The Shiva Trilogy. 

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