Deepika Padukone’s sudden arrival at the protest site at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi last evening created quite a stir in the nation. While a lot of people appreciated her courage for risking the release of her film Chhapaak, which comes out on Friday, 10 January, there were others who vowed to boycott the film.
Although Padukone’s move was bold, she didn’t give any statement at the protest. But the actress spoke later with the Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, elaborating on her stand. “I feel angry that this is happening. But at the same time the fact that action has not been taken. This is what we need to think,” she said.
Padukone also recalled the turn of events when her film Padmaavat (2018) faced violent protests from Karni Sena goons who were given a free run. During that time, she had also received death threats from people belonging to the Karni Sena.
She added that whatever she wanted to say she had said two years ago during the 2018 film’s controversy. Reacting further on the current situation, she said, “Right now I feel hurt at seeing what’s happening today. It hurts because I hope this doesn’t become a new normal. Like anyone can say just about anything and get away with it. So, I feel scared and at the same time sad. This definitely wasn’t the foundation of our country.”