Muslim Bollywood, star Aamir Khan who has long been a hate figure for India’s Hindu far-right, is faced with a new line of attack from his massive popularity in China.

The 55-year-old Khan and a brand ambassador for the Chinese smartphone makers, Vivo, is a major draw on the mainland with films such as “Dangal” (2016). He has 1.16 million followers on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo.

However, this week the hardline Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Hindu group put him on the cover of its magazine, calling him “The Dragon’s favourite Khan,” making reference to China.

While condemning Khan’s ties with Turkey, which has slammed India over Kashmir, the article said he was “forging friendships with those that are considered enemies of India.”

The editor of the weekly Hitesh Shankar told newsmen that,

“Aamir seems to be the favourite of the Chinese Communist Party system and the fact his movies are doing so well is an indication that he is being promoted by Chinese state.”

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s government has ignited growing hostility to China following a deadly clash on their disputed Himalayan border in June.

The militaristic RSS is the ideological parent of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, and the prime minister who is a dedicated Hindu is a lifelong member.

Since Modi came to power in 2014, the BJP government has passed a number of policies that have raised fears of marginalisation among India';s 200-million-strong Muslim minority.

Bollywood has a long tradition of Muslim movie stars and the so-called three Khans — Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh — have dominated box offices for the last three decades. But Aamir Khan stands out because of his frankness — although he has also been photographed meeting Modi. He is one of Bollywood’s most bankable leading men and has taken appearance in myriads of films with him often playing Hindu or Sikh heroes. He has a gigantic fan club, which includes millions of Hindus.

Khan was however the target of a vicious online campaign in 2015 and was forced out of several advertisement campaigns after he said his wife feared for the safety of their children in India. At the time India was reeling under a climate of insecurity following the execution of a Muslim man for allegedly eating beef, which many Hindus believe is sacrilegious. Khan attracted further ire when he met Emine Erdogan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a recent film shoot in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Erdogan has backed Pakistan over Kashmir, a territory that both India and Pakistan claim as its own but rule in parts.

China is in control of some parts of the mountainous Ladakh region.