Actor Sushant Singh Rajput dropped his surname on Twitter as a mark of protest against activists of Rajput organisation Shree Rajput Karni Sena, who misbehaved with the crew of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Padmavati.
“I did it to show that the unfortunate action is not what everyone with that surname endorses. They do not represent the entire Rajputs. There are ways to express your ideas, but violence is never an answer, and that too just on a mere speculation,” said Rajput.
The incident on the Padmavati set occurred on Friday in Jaipur. The Karni Sena activists damaged cameras and other equipment as they opposed what they called “the distortion of historical facts” in the film, which is about Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Delhi ruler, who fell in love with Rajput queen Padmavati.
“We would suffer till the time we’re obsessed with our surnames. If you’re that courageous, give us your first name to acknowledge,” Rajput tweeted.
On Sunday, he tweeted: “There is no religion or cast bigger than humanity. And love and compassion makes us human. Any other division is done for selfish gains.”
A Twitter user asked, “Why don’t you change your name too if you don’t follow any religion? Then why a Hindu name Sushant? Remove that too.”
“I’ve not changed my surname. I’m probably 10 times more Rajput than you are if you’re implying courage. I’m against the cowardly action,” replied Rajput.
Padmavati features actors Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor in the lead. The film’s shooting has stopped for now.
