Ever since Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested in a drugs case last year, there have been claims by many factions that it was a politically motivated move. From politicians to celebs, many have supported the idea. Joining the chorus now is Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas, who claimed in a recent interview that the whole case was an effort to tarnish Shah Rukh and Aryan’s image.
After Aryan was arrested long with seven others from a cruise ship off the coast of Mumbai on October 2 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the 24-year-old spent three weeks in prison before being released on bail. Even though no contraband was found with Aryan, the investigating agency claimed that he was involved with an international conspiracy to procure narcotics.
Tovino was speaking to Bollywood Hungama when the case was mentioned and the interviewer said Aryan’s reputation was affected. Responding to this, the actor said, “That was their purpose. That was the intention I think, from whatever we know now, there was a political intension to tarnish Shah Rukh Khan’s reputation, his son’s reputation, it looks like that. I’m not stating it but it looks like that.”
Recently, a news report claimed that the Special Investigations Team of NCB had failed to find any evidence of Aryan being involved in the conspiracy. The agency later clarified that this doesn’t, however, mean that Aryan has been given a clean chit. Reacting to this development, Tovino further added, “People will believe it was manipulated. That there was some kind of manipulation, which is why he is clear now. People like to think that.”
Tovino has acted in Malayalam films for close to a decade. His superhero film Minnal Murali was a sleeper hit last year. The Netflix film was appreciated by critics and fans alike, bringing the actor into mainstream spotlight beyond the Malayalam industry.
Aryan kept a low profile since his arrest and subsequent release. He was seen in public in his first appearance since the episode last month, as he accompanied sister Suhana Khan at the Indian Premier League auctions. Aryan and Suhana represented dad Shah Rukh at the table of Kolkata Knight Riders, the team their father owns. Their appearance was appreciated by mom Gauri Khan, who said she was proud.