Mumbai, July 22 (IANS) Actor Rajkummar Rao shared a heartfelt message amid the intense ongoing student protests.
He urged people and authorities alike to choose empathy, dialogue and peaceful engagement over confrontation.
Taking to his social media account, the actor was seen stressing over the importance of listening to young voices while maintaining peace.
His note began, ‘When young people feel unheard, it is a reminder that society must listen. Every voice deserves to be heard with dignity, fairness and respect.’
Calling for non-violence, Rajkummar wrote, ‘At the same time, peace must remain our greatest strength. Violence, from any side, only deepens wounds and takes us further away from meaningful solutions. This is a moment for dialogue and compassion.’
The ‘Stree’ actor also urged students to express themselves responsibly while appealing to the authorities to respond with understanding.
‘Let students express themselves responsibly. Let authorities respond with empathy, openness and a genuine willingness to listen. Real and lasting change is built through conversation, not confrontation. That is what is needed now—more than ever (sic).’
He concluded his message by highlighting the importance of education, writing, ‘All of us, collectively, want one thing, growth for our nation, and the foundation for that growth is fair education. Jai Hind.’
Rajkummar’s statement comes amid nationwide protests by students over concerns related to education policies and institutional issues. The protests in support of Sonam Wangchuk, have seen students demanding fair treatment, transparency and greater accountability.
The issue has also found support within the film industry. On Tuesday evening, actors Gurfateh Pirzada and Pratibha Ranta joined a student protest in Mumbai. Gurfateh later revealed that many people around him had advised him against attending the protest, but he still chose to show up, while Pratibha also voiced her support for the students.
On the work front, Rajkummar Rao was last seen in Netflix’s dark comedy ‘Toaster’, directed by Vivek Das Chaudhary.
The film also starred Sanya Malhotra, Abhishek Banerjee, Archana Puran Singh, Farah Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Upendra Limaye and Seema Pahwa.
‘Toaster’ also marked a significant milestone in Rajkummar’s career as it marked his and wife Patralekhaa’s debut as producers.
–IANS
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