Sadiq Khan is preparing for his third term as mayor of London
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is seeking a term in office, has a request for Bollywood: he wants them to reprise the smash hit ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’.
Mr Khan, born in London in 1970 to parents who came from Pakistan, explains why he believes now is the right time for such a request.
“I have a proposal to Bollywood. Re-enact Amar Akbar Anthony in Britain because we have a Christian king (Ling Charles III), a Muslim mayor (himself) and a Hindu Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak),” said Mr. Khan. who grew up with his six brothers and sister in public housing in Tooting, an ethnically diverse residential area in the south of the city.
The film featured Vinod Khanna (a Hindu police officer), Rishi Kapoor (a Muslim qawwali singer) and Amitabh Bachchan (Christian liquor seller).
“London is the number one place where Bollywood films are shot and where people come to invest. I look forward to Indians coming here as students, as tourists, as investors, and as a location for Bollywood films,” said Mr Khan, who joined the Labor Party at the age of 15.
Mr Khan often recalls how his father drove London’s famous red buses, his mother was a seamstress and one of his brothers was a car mechanic.
“One of the reasons why London is the greatest city in the world is because Indians have chosen to make it their home. These are Londoners who have become doctors, businessmen, politicians, chemists, pharmacists, scientists, journalists and so on. Our diversity is a strength. London is a place where you can realize your potential. I call it the London Promise,” said Mr Khan, who made a name for himself as an outspoken critic of Brexit.
In 2005 he gave up his legal career and became MP for Tooting, where he still lives with his lawyer wife Saadiya and their two daughters.
