Nida Fazli's comments have created a storm in Urdu literary circles, with playwright Asghar Wajahat describing them as "ridiulous and silly", and poet Asad Zaidi lending his suport to Fazli.
Says poet Asad Zaidi: " The lines of comparison drawn by Nida Saheb is correct. During the Seventies, Amitabh depicted several fascist characters on the big screen which were encouraging non-democratic tendencies, and such characters were being portrayed as heroes before the audience. It's just like today's terrorism. That character was definitely created by Salim-Javed pair."