January 8th, 2020 / 6:09 PM
Image Credits:Anurag Kashyap/Twitter,Vikrant Massey/Twitter
Bollywood celebrities have been slammed by many for not taking a stand and remaining apolitical especially in times of despair such as the anti-CAA protests or protests against the JNU violence now.
But going off this track actress Deepika Padukone visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus to show solidarity with the students on Tuesday evening, January 7.
The actress can be seen in various pictures, standing silently with the students, including the JNU students’ union chief Aishe Ghosh who was severely injured in the attack.
The actress’ bold move was admired and attracted flak simultaneously on social media. Stream of hate messages flooded social media, with people claiming that Deepika’s move was a tactic to promote her upcoming film ‘Chhapaak’.
Simultaneously, #ISupportDeepika and #BoycottChhapaak to #shameonbollywood are trending on Twitter.
Who is Nationalist??Whom do you support??Choice is yours .#boycottchhapaak@iSinghApurvaDipic.twitter.com/SVtU8bd2Es
— Vishal Pati BJYM (@PanditJiVishal1)January 8, 2020
An actress find out the actor@deepikapadukone#boycottchhapaak#DeepikaPadukonepic.twitter.com/UpAqTtCnfd
— Pradipta Kumar (@pradiptakumar4)January 8, 2020
#BoycottChhapaakCheap publicity stunt for chhapaak.@deepikapadukonesupport Anti-national activity to promote her movie.India will show you.Every real indian must boycott her movie named Chhapaak
— Raj Roshan (@RajRosh70258344)January 8, 2020
Among a number of other people, BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga tweeted an appeal to boycott her film.
RT if you will Boycott Movies of@deepikapadukonefor her Support to#TukdeTukdeGangand Afzal Gangpic.twitter.com/LN5rpwjDmT
— Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga)January 7, 2020
#NewProfilePicpic.twitter.com/cJNfiYfHRc
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72)January 7, 2020
❤️ swells with pride.#JNUViolence@deepikapadukonepic.twitter.com/yNnZC3ENse
— Vikrant Massey (@masseysahib)January 7, 2020
All those making snide remarks on@deepikapadukone’s visit to JNU as a movie promotion exercise, well, she could have chosen SRCC, Amity or Nirma University if it was only to promote a film. The fact that she CHOSE to visit JNU is a brave choice given the times we live in.
— Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh)January 7, 2020
https://twitter.com/filmesthete/status/1214559295070597120?s=20
Deepika Padukone, who stands with the suffering students in JNU.#ISupportDeepika#ISupportDeepikapic.twitter.com/9AEwTKMt7H
— DhanRaj Solanke (@dhanraj_solanke)January 7, 2020
People who are calling out Deepika Padukone for using JNU and its students as promotional tools should also realise that even if she did that, it takes courage for an actress to voice her opinions when she knows that it might lead to her losing a large chunk of her fan base.
It was very brave of Deepika Padukone to visit JNU just two days before the release of her film especially when the Padmavat stars had faced such a situation before. Therefore, the statement that she was at a potentially tense university campus showing solidarity with students for a film promotion, doesn’t seem logical.
In desperate times like these, everybody’s support matters, especially when that hand is of Deepika Padukone, who has influenced millions through her films.
At a time when major Bollywood stars have avoided speaking up on important issues, Deepika’s visit to the campus is an unusual and fearless way of taking a stand on the brutal attack.
Also Read:Govt Calls Bollywood Celebs To Discuss CAA Myths & Facts; Many Attend, Some Skip
Contributors
Written by : Sumanti Sen
Edited by : Shubhendu Deshmukh