NEW DELHI — A growing number of actors, comedians and public figures have lent their voices to a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, turning a student-led demonstration into a broader cultural moment that has drawn national attention. Speaking over telephone actor and activist Swara Bhaskar on Thursday told Thenewssite.in she could not attend the protest today due to prescheduled engagements.
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi and filmmaker-actor Prakash Raj were among the most visible names at the protest site, where they joined demonstrators in solidarity ahead of the planned march toward Parliament.
The protest, organised by supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party, has centred on allegations of irregularities in the NEET examination and demands for accountability from the education ministry. After police action during the attempted march earlier in the week, more celebrities began speaking out, both in person and on social media, criticising the crackdown and urging dialogue.
Among those reported to have physically joined the demonstration so far were comedians Kunal Kamra and actress Swara Bhasker, while Soni Razdan, Zeenat Aman, Abhay Deol, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Omi Vaidya and Sonakshi Sinha were said to have publicly backed the movement online. The list has widened further as more entertainers responded to images and videos from the protest site.
The latest wave of support came from several high-profile film personalities. Huma Qureshi visited Jantar Mantar late at night along with her brother Saqib Saleem and Rachit Singh, while actor Imran Khan was also linked to the protest in separate reports. Salman Khan, meanwhile, reportedly described the issue as “very serious” and called the students “brave” in a social media post.
Other celebrities chose symbolic gestures rather than a physical appearance. Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh, actor Sonu Sood, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh were among those said to have urged calm and called for a peaceful resolution, while Preity Zinta wrote that she hoped the government would begin meaningful dialogue with the protesters and student bodies. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actors Ishaan Khatter and Sonam Bajwa were also reported to have shared or reposted material backing the students.
The turnout of celebrities has helped give the protest a sharper public profile. The latest celebrity involvement has sharpened the public conversation around them.
Shabana Azmi, in particular, has stressed the peaceful nature of the protest, according to reports, framing the demonstration as one rooted in constitutional values. That message has echoed through the statements of other public figures who have urged restraint and dialogue rather than confrontation.
The protest has also revealed how quickly a local demonstration can become a national spectacle in the age of social media. As videos of police action circulated online, actors, singers and comedians used their platforms to respond in real time, with some offering poems, others calling for empathy, and several demanding that the government speak to the students.
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