For nearly a week after videos of police action against students at Delhi's Jantar Mantar dominated social media, many of India's biggest celebrity endorsers remained silent. Faces of some of the country's largest consumer brands, spanning FMCG, technology, automotive, fashion and financial services, stayed away from the public conversation even as criticism mounted online. It was only after a handful of actors and filmmakers broke their silence, as criticism over the industry's response intensified online, that a broader section of Bollywood began publicly backing the student movement.
Among those who remained silent in the immediate aftermath were some of India's most sought-after brand ambassadors. Shah Rukh Khan, the face of brands including Hyundai, Dubai Tourism and Lux, Amitabh Bachchan, associated with Gujarat Tourism, Cadbury and Emami, Deepika Padukone, who endorses Louis Vuitton, Levi's and Qatar Airways, Akshay Kumar, associated with Harpic, Dollar Industries and Tata AIG, Ranbir Kapoor, who has fronted campaigns for Asian Paints, Lenovo and Renault, had not issued public statements on the protests in the initial days.
As criticism over their silence grew and nearly a week after images of police action against students at Delhi's Jantar Mantar sparked nationwide outrage, the conversation gradually shifted with actors including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, R. Madhavan, Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan and Imtiaz Ali joining a growing list of film personalities who publicly expressed solidarity with the students.
Almost all of them posted on Instagram to condemn the reported violence. A few posts were also aimed at amplifying students' demands and calling for accountability. While some shared personal messages, others reposted statements issued by student groups, civil society organisations and fellow artistes.
The industry's response comes nearly four days after criticism over Bollywood's silence overflooded feeds. When students participating in the 'Chalo Sansad' march were stopped by police on July 20, videos of lathi charges and tear gas attacks spread rapidly across social media. Despite the scale of the protests, most mainstream stars stayed away from the conversation in the initial days.
But, a few of the veteran actors had stepped up much earlier.
Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj were among the first members of the film fraternity to reach Jantar Mantar. They joined the students on July 19, a day before the Parliament march. Shabana Azmi was also a part of the march and an eye witness to the brutality students faced. She has constantly been sharing live videos from the scenarios of the protest.
Both Azmi and Raj met students on hunger strike and remained actively involved as the protests continued.
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They were joined by Swara Bhasker, who visited the protest site and publicly backed the movement. Veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah also voiced support early through their social media, while Dia Mirza and Sonakshi Sinha condemned the reported violence and appealed for empathy towards the students.
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The turning point came when Salman Khan became the first major commercial superstar to comment on the issue. Calling the alleged paper leak a ‘very serious issue’, he praised students for keeping their protest peaceful and said education should remain above politics.
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Soon after, Alia Bhatt shared a note describing students as ‘the future’ of the country. Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali urged the country to listen to its young people. Actors Pooja Bhatt, Kubbra Sait, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Varma, Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem were among those who followed with messages condemning the crackdown.
Over the next two days, more actors joined in. Rajkummar Rao, R Madhavan, Chinmayi Sripada, Aditi Rao Hydari and Anupam Kher shared messages supporting the students and calling for a fair resolution.
Rajkummar Rao and R. Madhavan have also faced criticism over the timing and nature of their statements. Rao, who shared a message backing the students, was accused by some social media users of taking a ‘safe’ position, with critics arguing that he had stopped short of directly addressing the alleged police action. His post also drew comments referencing his appearance in the ‘Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai’ campaign song. Rao briefly responded to one such comment, writing, "One song doesn't define who I am... You can never know the pressure," before later deleting the reply.
Meanwhile, Madhavan, who serves as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), came under pressure from his students. FTII students questioned his silence, putting up posters and circulating ’Gayab’ (missing) posters and memes, arguing that the head of one of India's premier film institutes should have spoken sooner. When Madhavan eventually expressed solidarity with students and called for a fair and transparent education system, the response remained divided. While many welcomed his statement, others continued to describe it as belated and ‘safe’, saying they had expected him to speak much earlier given his position at FTII.
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Support has also moved beyond social media. Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem visited Jantar Mantar to meet the students. Actor Imran Khan joined a solidarity march in Mumbai, while several musicians like Raaftar and comedians like Rohan Joshi and theatre artistes participated in demonstrations across Delhi and Mumbai.
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The mobilisation has extended beyond Hindi cinema as well. Dulquer Salmaan was among the first major South Indian actors to comment publicly. He called the developments ‘gut-wrenching’, while artistes from Malayalam and other regional film industries have also voiced support. The growing show of solidarity marks a departure from previous public movements.
During the Citizenship Amendment Act protests, the farmers' agitation, the wrestlers' protest and the demonstrations following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, Bollywood was frequently criticised for remaining largely silent.
While the response this time was not immediate, the scale has been markedly different. Within days, support expanded from a handful of outspoken artists to include some of the industry's biggest commercial stars, filmmakers, musicians and performers, making it one of Bollywood's broadest public responses to a student-led movement in recent years.
As of Thursday evening, however, several leading actors, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Ranveer Singh, had not issued public statements on the protests. While Bollywood's response came in phases, the focus now moves to the silence of the brands their biggest stars represent.
