While the majority of Bollywood biggest stars remained stoically silent on anti-CAA protests, actress Deepika Padukone expressed her solidarity with the Jawaharlal Nehru University students in Delhi on Tuesday evening.
The actress ,33, was spotted at the college campus at around 7.30pm expressing her support towards the cause along with JNU alumnus. She was also seen interacting with the students for around 15 minutes, but did not give any speech per se. According to reports, she was seen entering through the East gate of the campus and participated in the protest for over 15 minutes.
“I am here to express my solidarity and not give any speech,” she told reporters gathered in Delhi.
With this, Padukone becomes one of the first few high profile stars in Hindi cinema to throw her weight behind this controversial cause.
Superstars including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan are still silent on the issue and have distanced themselves from the debate ripping through India.
It’s the first time that Padukone, who has openly spoken about her struggle with mental health in the past, has shown an overt support towards anti-CAA protests.
Padukone is gearing up for the release of her new film ‘Chhapaak’, a tale about an acid attack survivor reclaiming her life and dignity after a violent episode nearly destroys her life.
While many critics may question the timing of her support and link it to a publicity gimmick to promote her film, her act of solidarity cannot be discounted.
Padukone is one of Bollywood’s most recognised faces with millions of fans who adore her. Any move that she makes can impact political narrative.
