New Delhi: Actor Naseeruddin Shah, in an Instagram video, spoke about the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protests. Shah was in tears in the video, which is no longer available on his account. He said that those running the country are ignorant and want the entire country to become “ignorant, foolish, unsuccessful and ruthless.”
Shah added that he had completed two acting courses at the National School of Drama and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, but he had learned the most from his students.
“What I have learned most about acting is from those children, those students whom I have tried to teach,” he said.
He also said that he gives every student thousands of blessings with every breath and salutes them every Teachers’ Day.
“I am boiling with anger seeing how children are treated with cruelty by those goons,” he added, comparing their behaviour to that of America’s ICE agents, “who cover their faces with masks and carry sticks in their hands.”
Shah urged those in authority to think about their own children as well. He reminded students not to lose hope, saying that thousands stand with them, and added that he has always had hope in the youth of the country, which has now become even stronger.
“And to the government of this country, I just want to say this much: everything will be remembered,” he said, ending the video.
On Tuesday, videos of Shah with his son Vivaan had been circulating online, claiming that they were attending the protest at Jantar Mantar. However, the video was taken after a shoot outside the Regal cinema in Mumbai. When asked about the video, Vivaan clarified that while they stand with the students, the video is old.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)