Who is the world's biggest movie star? Brad? Will? Nah. His name is Shahrukh Khan, and he's the king of Bollywood. It's not just that his romantic flicks make gazillions—it's where those gazillions come from. Khan is huge in the Muslim world, even in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the mullahs ban his films. (The movies thrive on the black market.) Their main appeal is certainly the song-and-dance numbers, but Khan (a Muslim married to a Hindu) makes devoutly secular films where love trounces bigotry. Sonia Gandhi gives Khan's DVDs to visitors, especially Muslim ones. Here's hoping tolerance will leap from reel life to real life.
Uncommon Knowledge
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