Mumbai, Sept. 12: The comment was dabangg (fearless) but the apology was “uncharacteristically” swift.

Salman Khan came under fire today for telling a Pakistani channel that the “hype” around 26/11 owed to “elite people” being targeted, but said “sorry” as politicians gunned for him.

Family sources linked the swiftness of the apology partly to Salman’s anxiety to protect the market for his film Dabangg which has had a blockbuster opening, but denied that the original comment was made to help promote the film in Pakistan.

Salman accused Pakistan’s Express TV of “twisting” his comments. Footage of the interview shows Salman saying: “Too much hype has been created around the 26/11 attacks because elite people were targeted. Attacks have happened in trains and small towns too, but no one talked about it so much.”

The actor’s apology says: “I gave an interview about three weeks ago. Now it has been twisted around and the way it is coming across on TV, it sounds insensitive. I was just saying that all lives are equal... gareeb aadmi ho, aamir aadmi ho (rich or poor).”

It adds: “I did not mean to hurt anyone’s sentiment and if I have hurt anybody’s sentiment, I am really sorry.”

A similar distinction between the vulnerable citizen and the security-cocooned VIP had sparked public fury at politicians immediately after the 26/11 attacks, but today the politicians were at Salman’s throat. The Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, BJP and deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP) were united in condemnation.

Yet Salman found an unusual ally in Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, known for his strident Hindutva and regional-identity politics. “What Salman has said... about elite people is correct. I have been saying the same thing too. When the train blasts took place in Mumbai, why was there nobody at the Gateway of India to light candles? Salman need not have apologised,” Raj told The Telegraph.

Born to a Brahmin mother and Pathan father, Salman was celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi at home when the news broke. The Khans celebrate Id, Ganesh Chaturthi and Christmas at their home, which attracts Bollywood’s who’s who during these festivals every year.

“As TV aired reports of his comment and criticism began pouring in, distributors and exhibitors began calling,” a source close to Salman’s family said. The fear was that Dabangg’s collections would be hurt. “If Dabangg took a beating, then Salman’s brother Arbaaz would also be hit. Dabangg is Arbaaz’s first production,” the source said.

Salman’s father, scriptwriter Salim Khan, told the media the actor would apologise. “Salim saab told Salman to be a man and apologise as it was not so much what he had said but how people had perceived his remark,” the source said. “So Salman went straight ahead and apologised. It is very uncharacteristic of him. But he is truly secular at heart and the way the Pakistani channel projected the remark upset him.”

Arbaaz dismissed grapevine buzz about a link between Salman’s 26/11 comment on Pakistani TV and the possible release of Dabangg in that country. “The film is not being released in Pakistan,” he said.

A top Bollywood distributor, though, said the producers were keen to release the film in Pakistan but added: “It would not be fair to say the comment was made with an eye on the film’s possible release in Pakistan.”

Writer Shobhaa De tweeted that Salman’s statement “smacks of arrogance, ignorance and plain stupidity. A lame apology won’t do, Sallubhai. Boycott Dabangg!”

Salman’s reaction on Facebook: “She is Appealing to people to boycott DABANGG.... Please Send her good tweets!!”