PTI

New Delhi, Aug 29: Bollywood actor Salman Khan, sentenced to five years jail in Chinkara poaching case, should be made the face of wildlife protection, says activist-cum-actress Nafisa Ali Sodhi.

"Well, that should be his punishment. His real life experience will help in passing on the message. We need productive members in our society, where people like Salman get a second chance to pass on a positive message," says the former Miss India.

"Poachers are the biggest threat to the wildlife," adds the actress.

"Salman has just been made an example, and it's nothing but heart-breaking," Nafisa says at an art exhibition here.

Nafisa feels that celebrities are being targeted for their status and popularity.

"That's due to the system of celebrity-hood but it's getting counter-productive than being otherwise," she says adding, "Some people are doing it for their share of '15 minutes of fame' as they get to read about themselves. That's what it is all about." Recently, a policeman was suspended for being hugged by Sanjay Dutt, when the actor came out of Yerwada jail in Pune where he was serving his six years' term before getting bail.”

She says it wasn't right to punish the constable for getting Munnabhai's Jaadu Ki Jhappi.

"It's senior police official's job to tell his subordinates about the protocol," she says, and defended Sanjay Dutt by saying, "He's (Dutt) not a criminal or terrorist. Instead, he's a highly loved human being and a role model in India."