A poster of the film My Name is Khan

Lucknow, Jan. 20: Shah Rukh is welcome but not Rizwan Khan.

The actor, who is expected to visit the 135-year-old Aligarh Muslim University on Saturday for an interactive session with students, has met with unexpected opposition from his target audience, otherwise his fans.

The students, fresh from their tête-à-tête with Rahul Gandhi, are sceptical about the timing of Shah Rukh’s visit, accompanied by actress Shabana Azmi and writer Javed Akhtar.

“We don’t know if he would try to promote his film My Name is Khan here,” said Ismail Khan, a student of economics.

The film, directed by Shah Rukh buddy Karan Johar, is scheduled to release on February 12.

Shah Rukh himself is an alumnus of Jamia Millia University in New Delhi. Javed spent his boyhood in Aligarh, where he studied at the well-known Minto Circle school, part of AMU. He completed his matriculation from the university before graduating from Bhopal.

Ismail and his friends said Shah Rukh, and indeed other stars, were welcome to visit the campus of the historic university, but they had reservations if the platform was used for commercial purposes.

Shah Rukh, the students pointed out, needed to reach out to the youth after the phenomenal success of rival Aamir Khan’s campus film 3 Idiots.

University officials said the decision to invite Shah Rukh, Javed and Shabana was taken following a request from the stars to interact with the students.

“They had just wished to interact with the students. They had not mentioned any specific reason for their visit. We are inviting them on their personal wishes,” university spokesperson Rahat Abrar said.

The interaction will take place at the hallowed Kennedy Hall, the auditorium where several luminaries from political and academic circles have delivered lectures or engaged in conversation with students.

Several teachers, who did not want to go public, said the prestigious hall should not be allowed to promote a film.

“We of course don’t know if he would do that. We are not anti-Shah Rukh but the timing of his visit has made people ask questions. He is too busy promoting his film. What else is he supposed to talk about?” said a teacher who did not wish to be named.

The auditorium, built in the early ’60s with a grant from the US Ford Foundation, was named after then American President John F. Kennedy. The university, among whose alumnus is the Frontier Gandhi, Khan Abdul Gaffer Khan, has seen several dignitaries lecturing on campus, among them Jawaharlal Nehru, C. Rajagopalachari, the Shah of Iran Reza Shah Pehlavi, Egypt President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Afghan monarch Zahir Shah.

It was also at Kennedy Hall recently that one of the students asked Rahul Gandhi when a Muslim would become Prime Minister of the country.

Film stars are not alien to the campus. “Naseeruddin Shah, an alumnus, was here recently. We welcome sensitive film stars and filmmakers to interact with the young generation on contemporary issues,” said Prof. Abrar.

He said it was up to the students to decide what they wished to discuss with Shah Rukh.

“If they don’t want a discussion on the film, they won’t take it up,” he said.

University officials said Shabana, who is also a social worker, is believed to be keen on an interface with the new generation of students, an overwhelming number of them Muslims, to learn about their problems. The actress was to have played Shah Rukh’s mother in the film but later opted out, the role going to Zarina Wahab.

Shah Rukh and director Johar have in the past had to rebut murmurs that the actor’s detention in the Newark airport in the US last August was a “publicity stunt” for the film.

The movie, written by Shibani Bathija, is about a mildly autistic Rizwan, an Indian immigrant in the US, and his ladylove Mandira (Kajol), and the twists the 9/11 attacks bring to their relationship.