Bollywood stars stand by cockroaches
The images of clashes that have emerged over the past few weeks surrounding the student and youth movement in the Indian capital Delhi have not only sparked political debate, but also raised questions about the right to democratic protest.
National flags in hand, demands for education system reforms, and amidst them, police barricades, lathicharge, tear gas, water cannons and mass arrests.
The images that spread from the protest site at Jantar Mantar are now shaking the political and social conscience. In this atmosphere, many people from the country’s cultural world have decided not to remain silent and stand by the young people who have taken to the streets.
In particular, several artists, musicians and film personalities from Bollywood have publicly expressed solidarity with the protesters.
Some have given messages on social media, some have canceled their events, and some have directly criticised the police action. On the other hand, many big names in the industry are still silent. And that silence is now a topic of discussion in the public sphere.
One of the most talked about Bollywood responses to the student movement was the message of musician Arijit Singh. In that very short yet emotional post, he wrote, “The youth of our country are immortal. May God give them strength.”
This message was an important moral support for thousands of protesting students. Because when one of the most popular artists of the country stands by the youth, the impact of that message also increases many times. After Arijit, Honey Singh’s position came to the fore.
This rapper and musician, known as one of the most popular faces in the mainstream entertainment world for a long time, not only gave a message of support, but also postponed the release of the teaser of his new song ‘Moonlight’. He said that in the current situation in the country, it is more important to respect the feelings of the youth.
Popular singer Armaan Malik walked the same path. His new song was supposed to be released on July 22. Incidentally, that day was his birthday. But he will not release the song in the heated situation of the movement. In the video message, Armaan said that in the current situation, he is not in a mental state to create a festive atmosphere.
So, Prakash has decided to postpone the song for now. This stand of the artiste has also received widespread praise on social media. However, the voices of protest were not limited to the music world. A large section of Bollywood’s veteran and contemporary artistes have also spoken out publicly.
Shabana Azmi, Prakash Raj, Dia Mirza, Huma Qureshi, Vir Das, Sonu Sood, Soha Ali Khan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Nafisa Ali, Soni Razdan, Swanand Kirkire and several artistes have expressed solidarity with the students.
Many of them have raised the question, can a peaceful protest in a democratic country be answered by lathicharge? Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, actor-director Prakash Raj, comedian Kunal Kamra and actress Swara Bhaskar reached Jantar Mantar and expressed direct solidarity with the protesters.
They advocated for protecting the constitutional right to peaceful protest. Shabana spoke to the protesters and sat next to the hunger strikers. Prakash Raj also took to the stage and said, “I am with you.” Another notable name in this list is Diljit Dosanjh.
He said in clear terms that the students should not have been treated like this. He said that the right to express one’s opinion is not the mercy of any government, it is the constitutional right of the citizen.
