'Happy to see voices heard. It's done bro': Bollywood stars celebrate India's Education Minister stepping down

Dubai: Alia Bhatt, Ishaan Khatter, Priyanka Chopra, Shabana Azmi and more reacted after India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following weeks of student protests. Here's a compiled list of Bollywood celebrity reactions.

Alia Bhatt kept her reaction short and pointed, posting on her Instagram Story: "Gen Z showed up. The rest is history." She'd spoken out earlier in the protests too, saying at the time that the students weren't only representing themselves in this movement, but everyone who'd supported them along the way.

Ibrahim Ali Khan's reaction directly referenced Salman Khan's earlier message urging activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike. On Instagram Stories, he wrote: "Happy to see voices heard. It's done bro." He followed it with a second post reading: "Democracy. Gen Z and the youth of India," alongside salute and Indian flag emojis.

Sara Ali Khan's reaction was the most minimal of the group. She posted the single word "Democracy" on her Instagram Stories, accompanied by heart, Indian flag and folded-hands emojis.

Zoya Akhtar reacted in two parts. She first left clapping emojis on a journalist's post announcing the resignation, then followed with her own message: "What a reminder this has been... Gen Z - Only." She also shared a separate quote defining the moment: "Democracy is a system of government where power belongs to the people."

Ishaan Khatter's response was the most extensive of the group. Sharing a photo of himself holding a placard reading "Inquilaab Zindabad," he wrote: "India won today. Democracy won today. The collective empathy of millions washed the apathy of habit. So proud. THIS is the INDIA I grew up in. Maa tujhe salaam."

Sonakshi Sinha posted a video reaction built around a joking self-correction: "Sorry, what I meant to say was that I'm proud of you and THANK YOU. Brb now... millennial sathiya gayi hai. 25.07.2026. What a day!!!" In the video, she was seen doing sit-ups while holding her ears, a traditional Indian gesture of apology and remorse, aimed playfully at Gen Z.

Shabana Azmi said, "So proud of our youth. I am truly humbled. Thank you for showing us that our Constitution is our greatest strength," she said, before adding a note of caution: "It is the first step towards the students' victory. But the resistance must continue till the educational system is overhauled and all demands are met."

Prakash Raj addressed the movement directly by its own nickname on X: "Congratulations my Dear Cockroaches.. Dear Sonam Wangchuk sir and every single one who stood by the youth. You have proved that you can bring a regime down to its knees."

Aditi Rao Hydari's reaction on her Instagram Story read: "Gen Z for the win. More power to honesty, dignity, non-violence, accountability, freedom of speech."

Priyanka Chopra didn't post her own written statement, but reacted to journalist Faye D'Souza's Instagram post, captioned "Massive victory for the CJP, the young people who stood their ground and protested and the Democracy!", with a string of clapping, smiling and heart emojis.

Kamal Haasan's response was the most substantive and policy-focused of the group. Posting on X, he wrote: "Glad to see dialogue replacing confrontation. Dissent deserves dialogue. This is democracy in action. Pellet guns, electric shock batons and nail-studded lathis have no place in the land of Bapu. Equally, attacks on security personnel and public property must be examined fairly. Accountability cannot be selective." He went further, calling for a National Commission on Education and Examination Reform, saying the moment was "bigger than paper leaks," and adding: "The Government's willingness to engage is welcome. Now let us ensure that dialogue leads to lasting reform. The road ahead is long, but Indians must walk it together."

Posted a photo of Pradhan with a cheeky Bollywood song reference: "Accha chalta hoon... duaaon mein yaad rakhna" (roughly, "Alright, I'll take my leave now... keep me in your prayers," a line from the Channa Mereya song). He also used a viral meme audio track often used to mock chaotic situations, and added a comment mashing up the Salman Khan phrase directly: "Sonam it's done bro."

Other celebrity reactions were:

Tahira Kashyap — "Students are the future and they pretty much are the present."

Armaan Malik — "Power of the youth."

Samay Raina — "More power to the students."

Vir Das — The most poetic reaction of the bunch: "You restored a single word of a tiny little sentence of that book we all read in school and forgot. You beautiful kids. Whatever the hell happens from here, you won. Now hurry up and celebrate." (Reads like a nod to the Preamble of the Constitution.)

Also reacted, but through likes and story shares rather than their own written statements: rapper Raftaar, Akansha Ranjan, Sanya Malhotra, Vaani Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Sonam Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Triptii Dimri.