The entertainment industry’s chorus of support for protesting students at Jantar Mantar is growing day by day, as prominent figures from film, music, and sports take to social media to voice their concerns over the NEET paper leak and the subsequent police action against demonstrators.
Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has now broken her silence on the issue through an Instagram post. “I’ve sat with this for a few days, but I can’t sit with it any longer,” she wrote. “The voices of so many young people asking to be heard are impossible to ignore… and they shouldn’t be.”
The actress spoke about the crisis of faith facing students across the country. “We all know what education means to a child. It gives them immense confidence. It gives them hope. It gives families proof that tomorrow can be better than today,” she continued. “But education only works if children believe in it. And they stop believing the moment they suspect that honesty, hard work and merit don’t actually count.”
She further added, “No child should have to wonder if their effort will be enough. They deserve a system they can trust, where merit is real, effort is rewarded, and every child starts on equal footing. That isn’t a lot to ask. It’s the bare minimum.”
The actress concluded with a pointed appeal to those in positions of authority: “When an entire generation speaks with one voice about its own future, listening isn’t a courtesy we extend. It’s an obligation we owe them.”
She added a note that resonated deeply with many parents and guardians: “Our children are watching us as closely as we watch them. How we respond now… not eventually, now… will tell them everything about whether fairness and trust are real, or just words adults use. They aren’t preparing for tomorrow. They are tomorrow.”
Kapoor joins a growing list of celebrities who have publicly expressed solidarity with the student protesters. Actors Salman Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Alia Bhatt, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, and Pooja Bhatt, along with filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and singer Arijit Singh, have all extended their support through various social media platforms.
Former tennis star Sania Mirza too offered her perspective, striking a balance between acknowledging student grievances and advocating for peaceful resolution. “This is to express solidarity with the genuine concerns of students who are the future of our country,” Mirza wrote. “Students spend years preparing for competitive exams such as NEET and my heart goes out to them for what they have endured, especially in the last few days.”
The six-time Grand Slam winner highlighted the need for systemic reform while cautioning against violence. “Their voices deserved to be heard and their efforts respected. Their disenchantment must be addressed and proper reforms administered in the system. There is no place for violence in our society and we must all work together to find an amicable solution that secures the future of our youth.”
The protests, which have now entered their 34th consecutive day at Jantar Mantar, are being spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party. Demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, holding the government accountable for what they describe as a systemic failure that has compromised the integrity of one of the country’s most critical medical entrance examinations.