- By Swati Singh
- Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:00 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Deepika Padukone stirred immense controversy after she showed up at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2020, days before the release of her film Chhapaak. Her visit led to her ban on her film, also starring Vikrant Massey. Now, Vivek Agnihotri has reacted to it, stating that the actress didn't have a clue about the politics.
In an interview with Subhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Vivek said, "Unko pata bhi nahi tha ki kaha jaa rahi hain. I can guarantee ki Deepika ko pata bhi nahi hoga ki kyu kya waha ki politics kya hain. Dumb ki baat nahi hain but unko ye bola hoga PR walon ne ki ye ek opportunity he film ko promote karne ki aur ye political jagah hain aur apni film bhi politics se juri hui hain so let's go. Chali ayi hongi isliye! I don't think they bothered… if she had known, she would not have come (She did not even know where she was going. I can guarantee that she was not aware of the politics of that place and was told by her PR that this situation fit well for the promotion of her film. So she went there)."
He further added, "You play with fire, you get burned. I don’t know her personally, so I don’t know what ideology she aligns with. I do know that she is a very smart and intelligent woman. Had she known that this is a politically sensitive place and that it might impact her career, I assume she would not have gone."
"During film promotions, there are too many people telling stars what to do and where to speak. Her PR was mistaken, they thought it was an event. But it wasn’t an event. You can't touch politics and go out like that," said the filmmaker.
JNU Controversy
In January 2020, JNU witnessed violent clashes between students and a masked mob wielding sticks and rods, leaving 34 people injured, including JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh. The incident sparked widespread protests across India, with students from various universities, including Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, and Jadavpur University, showing solidarity with JNU students. The controversy escalated over accusations of "antinational slogans" and blame games between the Left-controlled JNUSU and the ABVP, with the administration and police facing criticism for their handling of the situation.
In an interview with NDTV, Deepika had said, "I feel proud to see that we aren’t scared to express ourselves... I think the fact that we are thinking about the country and its future.... Whatever may be our point of view, it’s nice to see."