Aamir Khan meets Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan as he shoots for Laal Singh Chaddha, Twitterati Unhappy!

New Delhi: Bollywood actor and Popularly known as Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan met the Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan at the presidential residence in Istanbul on August 15. The photos from the meeting have been going viral.

According to reports in local Turkish media, the meeting happened at the request of Aamir. The actor and the first lady discussed the various projects initiated by Aamir and his wife Kiran Rao, including their Paani Foundation. The actor also spoke about how Kiran had lived in Turkey for a short while.

Aamir Khan is trending furiously on Twitter which is none too happy about the meeting because of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks about Kashmir during his address in Pakistan's parliament. Aamir, who is unlikely to respond to the trolling, took the shooting of his upcoming film Laal Singh Chaddha to Turkey, where he met Emine Erdogan - the pictures of which meeting she shared on her official Twitter handle. Emine Erdogan described Aamir Khan as "the world-renowned Indian actor" and wrote that she's "looking forward" to watching his film.


Emine Erdogan tweeted: "I had the great pleasure of meeting Aamir Khan, the world-renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, and director, in Istanbul. I was happy to learn that Aamir decided to wrap up the shooting of his latest movie Laal Singh Chaddha in different parts of Turkey. I look forward to it!"

I had the great pleasure of meeting @aamir_khan, the world-renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, and director, in Istanbul. I was happy to learn that Aamir decided to wrap up the shooting of his latest movie ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ in different parts of Turkey. I look forward to it! pic.twitter.com/3rSCMmAOMW

— Emine Erdoğan (@EmineErdogan) August 15, 2020

Aamir Khan is in Turkey to resume the shoot of his film Laal Singh Chaddha., an official remake of Tom Hanks’ classic Forrest Gump. With Kareena Kapoor in the lead, the film was being shot in parts of India including Chandigarh, Kolkata and Amritsar when India went into a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Sat Sri Akaal ji, myself Laal...Laal Singh Chaddha.🙏 pic.twitter.com/aXI1PM8HIw

— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) November 18, 2019

Aamir announced Laal Singh Chaddha in a media interaction on his birthday last year. “I have always loved Forrest Gump as a script. It is a wonderful story about this character. It is a life-affirming story. It is a feel-good film. It is a film for the whole family. It’s a wonderful film so I really like it,” he had said. 

Laal Singh Chaddha is directed by Secret Superstar fame Advait Chandan, the film will span over decades and cover the important milestones from India’s lived history. The film, which was expected to release at the end of 2020, has now been postponed to Christmas of 2021. 

Turkey: Hagia Sophia mosque open to all religions - Erdogan

Istanbul, Turkey: Hagia Sophia will be open to the believers of all religions, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, July 24 after attending the first Muslim prayers in the historic building.

Following the prayers, Erdogan visited the tomb of Mehmed the Conqueror', the Ottoman Sultan who conquered Istanbul from Byzantium and converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque. During his 17-year rule, Erdogan has championed Islam and religious observance and backed efforts to restore Hagia Sophia's mosque status. He said Muslims should be able to pray there again and raised the issue - popular with many pious supporters - during local elections last year.

Erdogan has reshaped Turkey's modern republic, established nearly a century ago by the staunchly secularist Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, lifting a ban on Muslim headscarves in state institutions, promoting religious education and taming Turkey's powerful military, once a bastion of Ataturk's secular values.

Turkey: Imams recite Quran at Hagia Sophia as thousands gather for first Friday namaz

Istanbul, Turkey: Thousands of Turks gathered near Hagia Sophia early on Friday, July 24 as imams recited Quran verses inside the historic building ahead of the first prayers there after President Tayyip Erdogan declared it as a mosque.

Crowds formed at checkpoints surrounding the historic heart of Istanbul, where thousands of police maintained security. On entering the secured area the worshippers, wearing face masks, sat spaced out on prayer mats in the city's Sultanahmet Square. A top Turkish court announced this month it annulled Hagia Sophia's status as a museum. Erdogan immediately turned back into a mosque a building which was a Christian Byzantine cathedral for 900 years before being seized by Ottoman conquerors and serving as a mosque until 1934.

The president was scheduled to attend Friday prayers shortly after 1 pm (1000 GMT) along with several hundred invitees for the ceremony in the sixth-century building. During his 17-year rule, Erdogan has championed Islam and religious observance and backed efforts to restore Hagia Sophia's mosque status. He said Muslims should be able to pray there again and raised the issue - popular with many pious AKP-voting Turks - during local elections last year.

The conversion triggered fierce criticism from church leaders, who said the conversion to exclusively Muslim worship risked deepening religious divisions. Turkey says the site will remain open for visitors and its Christian artworks protected.

Erdogan has reshaped Turkey's modern republic, established nearly a century ago by the staunchly secularist Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, lifting a ban on Muslim headscarves in public, promoting religious education and taming Turkey's powerful military, once a bastion of Ataturk's secular values.

In Hagia Sophia, the Christian frescoes and the glittering mosaics adorning the cavernous dome and central hall will be concealed by curtains during Muslim prayer times, but remain on display for the rest of the time.

Turkey: Erdogan unveils 'mosque' sign at Hagia Sophia entrance

Istanbul, Turkey: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the new sign for "The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque" on Thursday, July 23, a day before the first Muslim prayers are held in Istanbul's controversial landmark.

Hagia Sophia served as a Christian Byzantine cathedral for 900 years before it was seized by Ottoman conquerors and converted to a mosque. Muslims prayed there until 1934 when it became a museum. But a Turkish court recently annulled the decree that turned it into a museum, opening the way for the sixth-century building to be converted back into a mosque, a move backed by Erdogan.

The decision unleashed a torrent of criticism from church leaders, who said the conversion to exclusively Muslim worship risked deepening religious divisions. Turkey says the site will remain open for visitors and its Christian artworks protected.

Christian frescoes and the glittering mosaics adorning the cavernous dome and central hall will be concealed by curtains during Muslim prayer times, but remain on display for the rest of the time.