Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor says she faces discrimination whenever she travels abroad and terms it as part of human nature to judge people on the basis of "brown skin".
"I've faced discrimination in different countries always. They see brown skin and they judge you already. That's the way it is," Sonam said at a session of Agenda Aaj Tak on Friday here.
When asked for her opinion on Bollywood supertstar Aamir Khan's intolerance remark and the controversy over Pakistani artists performing in India, Sonam shared: "Intolerance is a very broad term. Certain issues have always been there."
"I don't understand India-Pakistan politics at all, but if people of our country can work everywhere, I don't think that there is anything wrong in people from anywhere else to work in our country. Whether it's Pakistan, US, Paris or England - anybody has right to work everywhere," she added.
The "Khoobsurat" star said people's attitude changes on the basis of physical appearances.
"People automatically treat you differently. If they see a pretty girl, they treat her differently... But at the same time they judge you in a different way... They feel you are always in 'parda' or your parents are very conservative."
"We also do the same. A lot of my friends think that white skin are prudes. So there is always judgement for all kind of people," she added.
Sonam, who was last seen on-screen in "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" alongside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, said politics should not "enter" the frame of art and sports.
"It (politics) should never enter that. They all should be different fields. So the fact that I've worked with Fawad Khan in 'Khoobsurat', who I think is a brilliant artist, is completely different from the fact that he is a Pakistani," she said.
So does she feel that there is intolerance in the country?
The daughter of actor-producer Anil Kapoor said that "intolerance has always been there".
"We have seen all kinds of nightmares happen in the past 60 years and it's intolerence on different levels."
Sonam added: "We have too many religions in our country. We have too many languages, but at the same time there have always been stereotypes and judgements. The fact that people are aware about it and there are dialogues happening on it, is a very healthy atmosphere."
AAMIR'S 'INTOLERANCE' STATEMENT TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT: SONAM
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan's intolerance remark has come in for much criticism but actress Sonam Kapoor says the actor has been quoted out of context and rather than creating a furore about his comments, it is important to understand the reason behind his fears.
At an event here last month, the “PK” actor revealed that his wife fears the safety of their child and wants to leave the country and that there is "growing despondence" in the nation.
However, Sonam feels that people have perceived his statement in a wrong way.
"People have taken the statement out of context. Have you seen his entire interview or have you just picked out that one statement? It was just a living room discussion. He basically said that he is scared that this thought has entered his mind,” she said during a session at Agenda Aaj Tak.
"I think it was criticising. If somebody can critique something, that doesn't make him an anti-national. I think constructive criticism is always healthy. If someone is criticising my performance, it doesn't mean that he hates me. It means he doesn't like what I have presented on the screen. I think it's very important to not take things to heart," she said.
The “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” actress said that she fears that Aamir might never speak his mind after being a victim to such criticism and hatred.
"Aamir was just laying out his fears. And the very fact that the people have been so negative and disgusting towards him, now, do you think he will ever speak about anything in public? So, you understand why an intelligent man like Aamir is saying all this, rather than calling him an anti-national. Maybe what he said was too strong ... but it wasn't irrelevant," Sonam said.
