Published 16:28 IST, December 18th 2019
Varun Dhawan on anti-CAA protests: I'm trying to be responsible in what I say
Varun Dhawan at Street Dancer 3D trailer launch said, "Once the situation has been studied, I will definitely give my viewpoint concerning something."
Actor Varun Dhawan on Wednesday said he did not take a stand on the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act because as a public figure, he wants to be "responsible" with his statement. The actor said many versions about the protests are being reported and it would be wrong to express an opinion on the subject when one is in doubt. Many from the film fraternity including actors Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Farhan Akhtar, Parineeti Chopra, Richa Chadha, veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar, filmmakers Reema Kagti, Vishal Bhardwaj and Anurag Kashyap, and Hollywood actor John Cusack expressed solidarity with the Jamia Millia Islamia University students against the police action amid protests against the contentious Act.
Varun also reacted on the protests on Tuesday by sharing a photo of men belonging to different religions holding hands with 'India' written in the middle. He captioned the photo as: "Jai Hind". Asked if he will be taking to the streets to protest with the students, the actor said, "What's happening in the country is being reported. The reason why I don't want to comment exactly on what's happening is because there are four-five versions floating. "We are sitting here in Mumbai, right now something else is happening in other parts of the country. It's wrong of us to comment about what's happening over there until we don't see that, until we are 100 per cent aware what's happening."
However, Varun condemned the use of force against peaceful agitation but said there were also reports of law and order issue from different parts of the country. Jamia turned into a war zone on Sunday as police entered the campus and used force to quell student protests against the Act. Thousands of students across India took to the streets demanding a probe into the use of teargas inside the Jamia library as well as police entering the campus without permission from university authorities on Sunday.
On the same Sunday evening, police entered the campus of Aligarh Muslim University and used force. On Tuesday, protests in Delhi's Seelampur area turned violent after demonstrators clashed with police following protests against the Act. "Any kind of force used against peaceful protestors is wrong. We are 100 percent agreeing with that. Now, other law and order situations which are occurring, the people you named, even they commented about that and said that's also wrong.
"There are two sides to it. Right now, it's such a sensitive matter that it's easy to speak and say something or to slam someone. When you're a public personality, people follow you, kids follow you. Once the situation has been studied, I will definitely give my viewpoint concerning something," the actor added. He was speaking at the trailer launch of "Street Dancer 3D" here. Varun said he is "not pro or against" anyone. "I'm not fearful of anyone. I'm just trying to be responsible in what I say because I don't want to instigate someone wrongly," he added.
Asked if there is fear among artistes about speaking up against the government, the actor called it a matter of personal choice. "I am not scared of anyone because I love my country. Speaking out today has become about social media. If you didn't tweet, you're wrong. But what will happen by tweeting? Is the entire country on Twitter? No. "Personally, I feel I can have those conversations in my living room with my parents and friends. The best way for all of us to make a difference is by how you live your life, how you are when you work, who your friends are. I never discriminate with people. So that's me setting an example," Varun said.
Updated 16:32 IST, December 18th 2019