Athiya Shetty looks back at Deepika Padukone's visit to JNU, advises 'haters gonna hate'

Deepika Padukone's mere presence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) set in motion a chain of reactions from both sides of the political fence, and also somewhat divided Bollywood. Amid the imminent release of her prestige project, Chhapaak, Padukone had attended the Left-dominated Students' Union protest joining Kanhaiya Kumar (though the CPI(M)leader and former JNUSU president later claimed that he did not see her there as he was busy sloganeering). 

READ: Meghna Gulzar Calls Deepika's JNU Visit A Personal Choice: Here's Why We're Not Buying It

Athiya Shetty on Deepika Padukone's JNU visit 

In a conversation with a media publication, Athiya Shetty lent her thoughts on Deepika Padukone's JNU visit. Calling the act 'courageous', the Motichoor Chaknachoor actress emphasised that while it is 'very easy to sit behind a computer screen or phone and comment', it takes a lot of 'guts', to show up and stand up for a movement. 

Elaborating further about the backlash Deepika received for her brave step, she added, “You can listen to the haters but haters are going to hate.”

READ: Deepika Padukone Wishes Her 'french Fry' Sister Anisha On Her Birthday; Watch

Speaking about her reactions to the situation, Deepika had earlier said in an interview that whatever she wanted to say she had said it two years ago when Padmaavat was released. She added that what she is seeing today, it pains her. She also hoped that it doesn’t become the 'new normal' where anyone can say anything and they can get away with it. Deepika was in Delhi with her director Meghna Gulzar and co-star Vikrant Massey to promote her then-upcoming film, Chhapaak

.READ: Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor And Other Celebs' Checkered Style Outfits

At that time, several Bollywood celebrities in the likes of Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu, Vishal Bhardwaj, Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha, and Zoya Akhtar, among others, participated in a protest held at the Gateway of India in Mumbai. And, after Deepika Padukone's JNU visit happened, several members of the fraternity rushed to support the actress and lauded her for the decision, though at the same time, she was called out for using the visit as a 'PR stunt'.

READ: Deepika Padukone Lauds Father Prakash Padukone For Milestone, Legends Join In Celebrations