When Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence on the nationwide protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, his message was formal and institutional. In a late-night video address on July 23 and an earlier announcement introducing fast-track courts, he declared that India’s youth remained the government’s highest priority, promised tougher laws, and assured the nation that those responsible for harming students “will not be spared.”
For many, however, the statement lacked one essential ingredient: empathy.
Actor Dia Mirza voiced what countless students and grieving families felt. In a searing Instagram post, she questioned the absence of compassion for parents who had lost their children, students who had died, and the young protesters who had endured weeks of peaceful demonstrations, including Sonam Wangchuk’s prolonged hunger strike. “It took 47 days for you to say something,” she wrote. “And now that you have, you have said nothing.”
Her criticism echoed across Bollywood. Sonu Sood urged compassion, insisting that students’ futures must never become collateral damage. Vir Das challenged fellow artists to abandon silence. Shabana Azmi reportedly joined demonstrations despite illness, while Ishaan Khatter reminded the nation, “I am a student first.” Twinkle Khanna praised the courage to dissent, and Alia Bhatt, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Nandita Das, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan and others publicly backed the students’ call for accountability.
Not every intervention was welcomed. Salman Khan’s appeal for Wangchuk to end his hunger strike and his suggestion that students return home was viewed by some as shifting attention from the movement’s demands to de-escalation. Meerra Chopraa’s criticism of abusive language directed at the Prime Minister was likewise seen by critics as diverting attention from the central issue.
These contrasting responses sparked accusations that parts of Bollywood had become “compromised,” speaking only when the political climate felt safer or choosing cautious neutrality over accountability. Such accusations remain opinions rather than established fact. Yet the debate itself exposes an uncomfortable truth: in moments of national crisis, celebrities are expected to be both fearless moral voices and commercially untouchable brands.
Whether bold or cautious, Bollywood’s response revealed a divided conscience. But in a democracy where students are risking their futures to demand justice, even imperfect voices can help ensure that their struggle is neither ignored nor forgotten
JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
Independent. Fearless. On the People’s Path.
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