More power to you @deepikapadukone and thank you for your solidarity and support. You might be abused or trolled today, but history will remember you for your courage and standing by the idea of India. pic.twitter.com/q9WkXODchL
— Kanhaiya Kumar (@kanhaiyakumar) January 7, 2020
Familiar supporters of Mr Modi's government rebuked the actress, saying she was cynically mining publicity for her new film. On Twitter, rival hashtags asking people to both support and boycott her new film began trending.Let”™s not forget she is also the producer of the films .. stakes are even higher . Mad respect for @deepikapadukone https://t.co/y5CPzSEedU
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) January 7, 2020
The kerfuffle over Padukone's visit to the troubled campus is understandable. The 34-year-old actress of nearly three dozen films is truly a megastar in the world's most thriving film industry. She has an imposing social media presence - 26 million followers on Twitter and 42 million on Instagram. In 2016, Forbes ranked her the 10th highest-paid actress in the world. The next year, she and her star husband Ranveer Singh made an estimated $21m (£16m) in combined earnings, according to the magazine. After working with her on a Hollywood film, Vin Diesel waxed eloquent: "Anyone could talk about how beautiful she is, and anyone could tell you about her unmatched comedic timing. But she isn't just a star. She's an actor's actor, dedicated to the craft." Over the years, Padukone has gained a reputation as a sensitive, thinking actor. She has spoken openly about her battles with depression, and will travel to Davos later in January to speak about her work in trying to raise awareness about mental health. She also faced right-wing ire over her 2017 film Padmaavat, where she and Singh played the lead roles. Protesters vandalised cinemas and threatened to chop off Ms Padukone's nose, referring to a story in an Indian epic where a character has her nose chopped off as punishment. Padukone's campus visit was a compelling image. Bollywood filmmakers and actors have often been pilloried for not speaking up. Successive governments in the past - especially led by the right-wing Shiv Sena party in Mumbai - have openly threatened filmmakers for making films they didn't like. The Bollywood filmmaker, director Mahesh Bhatt once said, is "a vulnerable animal, especially when his film inches towards release. You can blackmail and make him kneel down." Mr Modi himself has assiduously courted Bollywood and has happily posed for selfies with supportive actors and directors. India university attack: "Students fell to the ground... they kept beating So is Padukone's act an inflection point of sorts? Will it encourage other Bollywood A-listers to "stand up - and stand in" as a newspaper described her campus visit? The students' protest in India against Mr Modi's government is remarkable because it is has been led by civil society and not political parties. "In a sense, Padukone had captured the spirit of the moment. This is the politics of solidarity beyond ideology. So her presence in JNU was important," sociologist Shiv Visvanathan told me. Other are not so sure. In a sharply polarised country - pitting those who endorse Mr Modi's muscular Hindu nationalist politics against those who believe in a secular India - people who dismiss what they describe as "troublesome left-wing students" are not likely to be swayed by Padukone's visit. Padukone joined protesting students at a Delhi university on Tuesday night "I am also not sure that people who have criticised her will stop watching her films. Our public culture is not one of consistent ideological positions. It is far more ad hoc. We are capable of holding deeply contradictory opinions. We mostly live in a threshold society rather than one which has clear distinctions between good and bad, left and right. People, for example, support both a strong state and an open economy," Sanjay Srivastava, a professor and sociologist, currently at the Institute of Economic Growth, told me. To be sure, Padukone is not the only Bollywood heavyweight who has spoken out against Mr Modi's politics. A number of young female actors and well-known directors have attended protests against a controversial new citizenship law and the JNU campus attack. Anurag Kashyap, one of India's best-known directors, told a network last night that Mr Modi's government had "divided the country into two kinds of people - the anti-nationals and the patriots". Before meeting the students at JNU, Padukone told a news network that she was "pained" by what was going on. "It pains me because I hope this doesn't become the new normal. It's scary, and sad. This is not what our country's foundation was," she said. It is easy to be cynical about the politics of celebrities, but Padukone's remarks sounded like genuine anguish. "I think this is a very significant moment. She knows the consequences of speaking out, yet she has risked a lot of things by standing up," says film critic Shubhra Gupta. "Who knows what it will lead to? Will more stars speak out now?" Time will tell.Pl listen to my take on #DeepikaPadukone.
By standing with this small community of anti-India students she has sent a message that she doesn”™t support 98% India-loving students. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/ypIUekdkkX — Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 8, 2020
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
Latest Stories
-
Bright Simons: Ghana’s billion-dollar ‘Timber Merchant’ deal to protect taxes
2 mins -
Cash Waterfall Mechanism report shows significant non-compliance with formula for revenue allocation – Report
20 mins -
Prison officer injured in clash with soldiers in Bawku
23 mins -
SSNIT reserves projected to hit zero in 12 years – ILO
28 mins -
Prestigious Nigerian school closed over bullying reports
33 mins -
Funny Face failed to perform at my show after taking money – Parrot Mouth
38 mins -
CAFCC: Sports Minister to offer Dreams FC a ‘surprise’ package before Zamalek clash
50 mins -
CAF awards 3-0 win to RS Berkane, after Algerian customs confiscated their kits
1 hour -
AgriTech challenge pro holds first pitch
1 hour -
UNIDO commits to improving local rice standards
1 hour -
Suleja prison: 108 inmates on the run in Nigeria
1 hour -
We object to government’s plans to make BEST sole off-taker of Sentuo Oil Refinery – CBOD
1 hour -
Burkina Faso army massacred 223 villagers in revenge attack – HRW
2 hours -
Lebanese Community awards ¢100K in scholarships to 21 students at UniMAC
2 hours -
Germany detains alleged Nigerian mafia members
2 hours