The CJP protest is still ongoing at Jantar Mantar, and today it has reached a level that is nothing short of one for the history books. The protesters, who had been peaceful all along, were met with force.
Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly taken to a hospital by the authorities, the Delhi Police sent officers to attack the people present at the venue, and students, young people and more were lathi-charged, tear-gassed and stopped from leaving the area. And through all this, Bollywood still remains largely silent.
Now, honestly, this is nothing new, since it’s become the MO (Modus Operandi) of most of these celebs who stay silent on national issues but are the first ones to post about international incidents. It’s also the MO to stay silent and then, a couple of years later, create a film around these very same issues, talk about the spirit of the people and Indian democracy, and rake in all the crores and goodwill that it brings.
It would also be wrong, though, to say that all of Bollywood has been silent on these protests. There have been some who have shown support through social media, and some who have actually visited the protest site themselves, meeting with the people present there and encouraging them not to give up.
Indian Actors At The Protest Site
Sonam Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar since June 28, as part of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party’s protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.
On July 18, Delhi Police physically moved him from the protest site to Safdarjung Hospital, citing a court order on his health.
His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, has since gone back to court asking why he is still there without an arrest or judicial order, and saying that he should not be treated without his and his doctors’ consent.
On July 20, a massive march was planned to Parliament, where the government was opening its Monsoon Session. In the midst of this, actors like Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj visited the site, offering their support both vocally and physically.
Shabana Azmi arrived at Jantar Mantar on July 19, ahead of the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, and sat with the protesters. She revealed that she and her husband, lyricist Javed Akhtar, had written directly to the Prime Minister asking for a conversation on the issue, and hadn’t heard back. Asked why she’d chosen to speak now, she said, “Jab paani hadd se guzar jaata hai, tabhi bolti hoon.”
Prakash Raj has visited the site a few times now. He told the gathering, “I am with you tonight. I am right here.”
Bollywood Celebs Who Supported, But Only Online
While Bollywood has been largely silent on this issue, some actors have shown support through their social media platforms. Hrithik Roshan reposted a video of Wangchuk on his Instagram Stories recently, writing, “This sounds true. I learnt about the trauma students go through when I played a teacher (Super 30-Anand Kumar) in one of my movies.”
Omi Vaidya, the actor who actually played Chatur Ramalingam in 3 Idiots, posted his own appeal: “I don’t want Phunsukh Wangdu to die. Hello idiots, pehchana?”
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Others who posted support online include Dia Mirza, Zeenat Aman, Soni Razdan, Abhay Deol, Lisa Ray, Anurag Kashyap, Atul Kulkarni, Kiran Rao, and Zoya Akhtar.
Sonakshi Sinha posted a video applauding the CJP protest and Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike.
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Read More: Why Are Authorities Allegedly Photographing People At The CJP/Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike?
Bollywood’s Silence
The above ones are just the ones who have supported the cause, though. If we start listing out the ones who have not said anything, the list is much longer. Because so far none of Bollywood’s top-tier stars, the ones who headline the Rs 300-crore openings, have said a word. Let’s start listing, okay?
Those who have not made any public comment of any sort so far:
- Alia Bhatt
- Shah Rukh Khan
- Salman Khan
- Akshay Kumar
- Ranveer Singh
- Amitabh Bachchan
- R. Madhavan
- Kajol
- Ajay Devgn
- Paresh Rawal
- Ranbir Kapoor
- Abhishek Bachchan
- Shahid Kapoor
- Vivek Oberoi
- Saif Ali Khan
- Katrina Kaif
- Priyanka Chopra
- Vicky Kaushal
- Ayushmann Khurrana
- Kareena Kapoor
- Anushka Sharma
And yes, even Aamir Khan would be included in this list.
The Aamir Khan Debate
Aamir Khan has landed in particularly hot water, not just for his silence over the protest, but also for his comments regarding Sonam Wangchuk as well. Speaking at the London Indian Film Festival, Khan said, “No, that’s not true actually. That is a misconception. I didn’t know about Mr Sonam at that time when we were doing the film 3 Idiots.”
He also addressed a video by actor Omi Vaidya, who played the character of Chatur in the movie, where he expressed support for Wangchuk’s protest, saying that, “I know that I saw a video of Chatur just recently; he said that… No, he’s wrong. Maybe that’s what Chatur was thinking, but I want to tell you that neither Raju nor Abhijat, who are the two writers, nor I we we didn’t know about Mr Sonam.”
Although he mentioned Sonam’s work and said that it deserved respect, he also expressed concern for his health. Now, this belief that the character ‘Rancho’ was inspired by Wangchuk has even been denied by the activist himself.
However, people did raise questions over Khan’s claim that he did not know about Wangchuk previously, as Wangchuk himself mentioned in a video how the team of 3 Idiots had approached his school, SECMOL Campus (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), to get permission to shoot there.
The school refused, citing concerns over the clutter, environmental footprint, and more that a Bollywood film shoot would entail.
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The Silence That Goes Beyond Sonam Wangchuk
This is not the first time that Bollywood’s silence over national crises has been called out.
Wrestlers’ Protests (2023)
Previously, the Wrestlers’ Protests of 2023 highlighted the same situation, when mainstream A-list Bollywood stars and top active cricketers all stayed silent.
None of the big celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and Deepika Padukone ever released any public statement regarding the protests and the treatment of the athletes.
Out of all the celebrities, only a select few voiced their support; these included:
- Sonu Sood
- Swara Bhasker
- Pooja Bhatt
- Kamal Haasan
- Prakash Raj
- Onir
The protest, led by India’s top Olympic and international champions, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, demanded the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the then-chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse of power, and institutional failure came out.
NEET Protest
Bollywood also remained silent during both the NEET-UG paper leak protests, the one that took place in 2024 and the one from this year.
During the 2024 fiasco, the involvement of Bollywood or any Indian celebrity was virtually zero. Even the handful who have raised their voice have only done so now, with the escalation of the CJP’s on-site protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike.
There has been a growing sentiment among Bollywood actors, who keep repeating that ‘they are actors, not politicians’ and thus should not have to comment on the political issues happening around the country.
Vir Das also just posted about it on his Instagram, writing, “If you are an Indian live artist, I hope you understand the sheer hypocrisy of not speaking up for the people, and then trying to sell them tickets later. The sheer luxury of being a silent viewer to what an Indian crowd care about, and then expecting an Indian crowd to be loud and vocal and care about you.
Apna apna dekh lo, lekin mere liye pahunch jaana. Doesn’t work. The concert economy in India is built on young people gathering in support. I get that ‘you’re not political’, which is subtext for ‘I’m really comfortable’. I always look at those statements and think, do you, buddy. I’d submit to you that this issue isn’t political or partisan anymore.
It’s just about the youth now. And you can support them by platforming what they care about. Beyond that, you do you.”
Bollywood creates about a million jobs across various sectors. Within that, the top stars’ signing amount for a single film is somewhere between Rs 50 and 80 crore. And this is without even counting the profit cut that most male actors, especially, get from a movie’s box-office collection.
According to trade sources, for the movie Pathaan, which earned over Rs 1000 crore globally and recorded a profit of Rs 600 crore, SRK went home with a massive share of Rs 350 crore.
Both Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar earn Rs 70 to 80 crore, while Ranbir Kapoor’s fee stands at Rs 80 crore. Ranveer Singh was said to be charging Rs 50 to 60 crore earlier, though it might be more now after the massive success of Dhurandhar. At the same time, while filling their coffers to the brim, they also earn both public goodwill and critical acclaim for doing movies on national issues.
Uri: The Surgical Strike (Vicky Kaushal), Swades and Chak De! India (SRK), The Legend of Bhagat Singh (Ajay Devgn), Airlift, Kesari, Mission Mangal and Gold (Akshay Kumar), Raazi (Alia Bhatt). Aamir Khan has built his entire career on socially conscious movies, with his roster including Rang De Basanti, Lagaan, Sarfarosh, Taare Zameen Par, and even his show Satyamev Jayate.
Now, if we take a look at the opposite side, we can also clearly recall what has happened any time the big stars of Indian cinema have taken a stand against the government, or talked about socio-political issues happening around the country.
They are instantly labelled ‘anti-national’ or ‘Pakistani’, or get trolled and face backlash over how they need to stay in their lane. Boycotts are carried out against their movies and projects, and they receive death threats, verbal, sexual and digital harassment; even their family members (especially the women) are targeted and told to leave the nation if they have such a problem with it.
But at the same time, it is these very stars that a large majority of the public reveres almost like a god. These common people are influenced by these celebrities and form their understanding of the world based on what they do, what they say and how they act. These actors earn crores upon crores from films made around some of these very protests and national issues.
At that time, they stand on those stages, glowing with national pride, and talk about how great these people were, about their struggles and how they fought, and commend the country’s democratic spirit.
These very stars then walk up, chests puffed with pride, to collect the national awards that the government gives them for showcasing that very national pride. They smile and grin and shake hands with top dignitaries, posing for photos holding the award and giving big speeches about what we, the common people, should learn from this and do for our country in return.
So why is it, then, that they are so silent when it comes to the present day, when it comes to speaking out, when the issue is actually happening?
Not in five years, not at the trailer launch of the film made around these subjects, but now, when the nation needs to come together as a unit.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, The Hindu
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: cjp, CJP protest, cjp protest delhi, cjp protest jantar mantar, cjp protest news, Dharmendra Pradhan resignation, education accountability, examination irregularities, Jantar Mantar protests, NEET paper leak, sonam wangchuk, Sonam Wangchuk CJP, Sonam Wangchuk hunger strike, sonam wangchuk hunger strike news, Sonam Wangchuk hunger strike reason, sonam wangchuk news, Sonam Wangchuk protest
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