Bhaag Salman Bhaag, Milkha on to you...

Actor Salman Khan's seemingly innocuous appointment as goodwill ambassador of India's contingent for the upcoming Rio Olympics has snowballed into a major controversy.

This was largely the undoing of scriptwriter father Salim Khan who, while coming to his son’s defence, drew a rather unpleasant analogy about athlete Milkha Singh who had criticised the move.

Milkha, whose life was turned into a blockbuster film "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", had said that sports personalities like PT Usha should have been considered by IOA instead of importing "a person from Bollywood." Sharply reacting to this, Salim said, "Milkhaji it is not Bollywood, it is the Indian Film Industry and that too the largest in the world -- the same industry that resurrected you, preventing a veteran athlete from fading into oblivion"

Salim took to Twitter and highlighted Salman’s performance as a wrestler in his upcoming film "Sultan."

"Salman Khan may not have competed but is an A level swimmer, cyclist and weightlifter... Sportsmen are performing because of sports lovers like us," Salim, 80, wrote, taking another dig at Milkha. As the debate raged, BJP MP and yesteryear actress Hema Malini supported the decision of the Indian Olympic Association, saying Salman's popularity is being harnessed for a good cause. "People love him so much. So, if he is the brand ambassador, what is the problem," Hema told reporters when asked to comment on Salman's appointment. However, another BJP leader and Haryana Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij disapproved of the decision. Vij said a "filmy hero" will not bring medals for the country. He also said wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt would have been a better choice. But even sports fraternity was split with batting legend Sunil Gavaskar seeing nothing wrong in Salman's appointment. "Why not," he demanded. ‘‘Why not a known face, who is not really a part of that particular profession: If he can bring a lot more awareness to that particular profession then why not? I don't see anything wrong in it," Gavaskar said. "See, how has IPL benefited from the presence of Bollywood stars. It has helped considerably in bringing the crowd to the stadium. Eventually the kind of cricket being played will decide the fate of that edition of the IPL but having Shah Rukh (Khan) and Preity (Zinta) on the ground is a plus, a lot of people come to see them," he said. Union Minister of State for Sports Sarbananda Sonowal said sentiments of sportspersons who are opposed to Salman's appointment have been conveyed to the IOA. Input PTI