Asked about the films use of the phrase Jai Shri Ram, he said that when he grew up, Jai Shri Ram was a benevolent expression, "rooted in our culture", but that the words have become aggressive, and that "it bothers me to see how we are becoming increasingly intolerant." After the success of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he directed Katrina Kaif and Saif Ali Khan in Phantom, an all-out actioner based on the 26/11 attacks.
He pointed out that the phrase "Jai Shri Ram" has undergone a change in connotation from being a benign cultural reference to becoming an expression of intolerance.