New Delhi: Several actors and filmmakers have commented on the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest against alleged ‘vote chori’ and on the police action that followed.
The CJP held the protest on 10 October to oppose the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and seek the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police detained the leaders of the satirical party, Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, along with hundreds of protesters and journalists in Delhi.
Actor Prakash Raj posted a cartoon on X questioning how long dissent could be avoided, and a video calling the detentions of young people from flights and homes a “hungama”.
How long will you escape from Citizens dissent #justasking pic.twitter.com/nPXF8jN2ya
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) October 10, 2026
Filmmaker-producer Anurag Kashyap urged followers to watch AISA president Neha Bora’s live video from the protest.
“Do Darpok, 40,000 ghulam, Lakhon bahadur,” he posted on Instagram on 11 October.
Kashyap shared another Instagram post Wednesday: “Iss Democracy ki maa mein bilkul bhi mamta nahin hai. Isse achcha toh hum anath the (There is no motherly love in this Mother Democracy. We were better as orphans).”
Apurva Asrani called the detention of CJP leaders “the end of democracy” on Instagram, while Vikramaditya Motwane posted a series of Instagram Stories.
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub shared a Hindi version of a Bertolt Brecht poem, while Vir Das shared an explainer on the Streisand Effect. Music composer Vishal Dadlani posted a video on Instagram criticising the scale of police deployment, and filmmaker Shirish Kunder wrote on X that using force against one’s own people is not sustainable.
Also read: Ahmedabad garba organisers ask Muslims to leave. Not my politics, says Aditya Gadhvi
Imran Khan’s case
Actor Imran Khan took part in the CJP’s Mumbai protest at August Kranti Maidan on 10 October. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) has since asked him to leave India by 28 October. Police said the notice was served for violating laws by protesting, and Khan was briefly detained during the protest.
Khan holds a US passport and an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. His lawyer has said no law or rule prohibits OCI cardholders from protesting. Khan said he attended “as a citizen” and not on behalf of any organisation. His legal team is challenging the notice in the Bombay High Court.
On Thursday, director Kiran Rao responded to a post about the notice with open disbelief. “Wah, now it’s Mumbai police?” she wrote.
In another Instagram story, Rao reacted to this decision by re-sharing a post: “43 years old. 40 of those years in India. Studied here, worked here, succeeded here, failed here, loved here and fought here.”
Saba Azad also backed Khan.
“What!? This is absolute BS,” she captioned a post stating the news of Khan being asked to leave India on Instagram Stories.
Not everyone backed him, however. Veteran actors Raza Murad and Gajendra Chauhan supported the authorities, with Murad saying foreign nationals should not interfere in India’s internal affairs.
Chauhan, on the other hand, argued that Khan should face punishment if he broke the law. Dipke has called out Bollywood’s silence over Khan’s notice.
Anupam Kher recently expressed displeasure over the use of abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during protests, asking, “Is it necessary?”
In a reel posted Thursday, the 71-year-old said people were free to question the government and criticise PM Modi, but insisted that disagreement should remain peaceful and civil.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)