Bollywood dances to war drums

Pakistani celebrities call out B-town’s lust for bloodshed

As the divide between Pakistan and India grows irretrievably deeper with the escalating violence in the name of so-called Operation Sindoor, two things have become impossible to ignore.

The first is the jingoistic rhetoric spewed by Bollywood celebrities on social media. And the second is the outrage of Pakistani A-listers at this flagrant call to violence in the guise of patriotism.

What Bollywood says

In the wake of the Indian military attacks that have resulted in the deaths of 31 Pakistani civilians, including a child, Indian stars have made no secret of where they stand. Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Suniel Shetty, Sidharth Malhotra, Kanagana Ranaut, and Adnan Sami, lauded the actions of their armed forces on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), signing off messages with “Zero tolerance for terrorism” or the ever popular “Jai Hind”.

“Operation Sindoor’s success reflects the commitment of our armed forces to protect the nation,” posted Sidharth on X. “We show zero tolerance for terrorism. Jai Hind ki Sena!”

Meanwhile, keeping her message shorter, Kajol wrote, “Respect and gratitude to our armed forces. Jai Hind.” Her husband, Ajay, expressed similar enthusiasm, writing, “Saluting our honourable prime minister and our Indian armed forces. India stands tall and strong. Jai Hind!”

This latest congratulatory display of Bollywood fanning the flames of violence forms a diametric contrast to the grief and condolences displayed by Pakistani celebrities in the immediate aftermath of the Pahalgam attacks that formed the prelude to India’s deadly military action across the border.

‘No one celebrated Pahalgam’

Forming a scathing response to their Indian counterparts, Pakistani stars Urwa Hocane, Faysal Quraishi, Hina Altaf and Hasan Raheem took to their respective Instagram handles to clap back at the one-sided nationalistic pride of the Bollywood community.

“Literally no one in Pakistan celebrated Pahalgam even though we were wrongly accused for it! And then they are celebrating killing our innocent children and women! Cowards of the highest form!” penned a furious Urwa, pointing to the clear difference in social media presence of stars on both sides of the border.

Urging her followers to do whatever they could in their own capacity to boycott Bollywood stars, Urwa continued in Urdu, “To hell with these Indian actors! I don’t know what they have done that you are dying to follow them. It’s a dead industry now.”

Signing off on a rousing note, Urwa finished: “Stop watching their sh** films that never existed without a small part [of] maligning Muslims or Pakistanis!”

Faysal’s reminder about freedom

Echoing similar sentiments, actor and host Faysal Quraishi posted a video on his Instagram handle condemning Indian stars for condoning violence and urging his Pakistani followers to exercise caution in whom they support.

“All these actors from Hindustan – wow. Well done,” began the Deemak star, his voice laced with sarcasm and bitter disappointment. “You all tweeted the same things congratulating your county on their attack. You thought they were doing such a brilliant job ending terrorists.”