Several Bollywood celebrities, including Sonakshi Sinha, Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj, had extended their support to students protesting at Jantar Mantar over the alleged NEET paper leak, with protesters demanding the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Now, actor Suresh Oberoi has questioned celebrities who publicly backed the protests.
In a podcast with Nidhi Vasandani, Suresh reacted to celebrities supporting the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar and said, “We are responsible people. The world listens to you and follows what you say. Before speaking, you should research, see and understand who is behind it, who all are involved. Are they all NEET students, or are there politicians, people throwing stones or people creating a ruckus? Until you know, how can you become so vocal? If I don’t know about something, I won’t speak about it. I’ll say, ‘I don’t know about it.’”
He further questioned the funding of CJP and argued that there are established ways of making demands. He also said he did not approve of violent methods. He said, “I will never go for any protest. My job is acting, so I will act. What is the point of becoming an activist? There is a way to demand anything. What kind of way is this? I don’t like it. Overnight, you want to become a star, so you throw stones and become one. It is absolutely ridiculous that you are hitting the police. You should not do that.”
In June, the Cockroach Janta Party led a student protest over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, demanding the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based engineer, education reformer and innovator, also joined the protest and observed an almost month-long hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Several Bollywood actors, including Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj, visited the protest site, while Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood, Vir Das, Dia Mirza, Soha Ali Khan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh and Huma Qureshi publicly expressed their support. Later, on July 20, the Sansad Chalo march ended in clashes between protesters and police, with reports of injuries and the use of force. Eventually, after weeks of agitation, the CJP protest led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Suresh was last seen in the film Aazad Bharath. Helmed by Roopa Iyer, the film also featured Shreyas Talpade, Roopa Iyer and Indira Tiwari. The film was released worldwide in January. The actor is yet to announce his upcoming project.
Riya Sharma is a content producer at Hindustan Times who lives and breathes entertainment. If there’s gossip making noise in Bollywood or a reality show moment breaking the internet, chances are she’s already writing about it. She loves digging out the juiciest stories, spotting viral pegs and turning it into easy-to-read content. A journalism graduate from IP University, Riya began her career as a social media executive, where she learned the art of grabbing attention in a scroll-heavy world. But her love for showbiz soon pulled her into entertainment journalism, because for her, it’s always been entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment. An artist at heart, Riya has a deep passion for acting, music and dance, which shapes how she watches and writes about films and reality shows. She loves sharing her views and reviews, especially when something excites, surprises or completely disappoints her. A hardcore reality show fan, Riya enjoys tracking every twist, task and meltdown, and breaking them down for readers who can’t get enough of high-voltage drama. Movies are equally close to her heart, whether it’s a big theatrical release or a binge-worthy OTT series, she’s always watching, and analysing what’s worth the time. She loves talking to celebrities, asking questions that go beyond the usual. When she’s not working, she’s either glued to a new web series, hunting for underrated thrillers on OTT platforms, or rewatching iconic Bollywood moments.Read More
