“I am not afraid, I am angry” says Naseeruddin Shah on Citizenship Amendment Act

Amid massive nationwide protest against Citizenship Amendment Act, versatile Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah raised serious concern over the amended act.

In an exclusive interview to The Wire, he said “If living 70 years here and doing whatever I could, does not prove me to be in India, I don’t know what does. About the present circumstances, he said succinctly, “I am not afraid, I am not anxious, I am angry,” said the actor.

Naseeruddin Shah also spoke on the rise of communalism and why the big names of the film industry have kept silent over the situation. But expressed optimism about India’s youth which has raised a strong voice against injustice.

“The rise of India’s young against the current dispensation is amazing. Even in the film industry, the younger actors and directors have risen against this law, Shah said.

On the silence of the big Bollywood stars, he said, “silence of big-name stars is not surprising. They feel they have a lot to lose. But even Deepika Padukone has a lot to lose and she did come out in public to show her solidarity.”

Apparently, with a pang in his heart, Naseeruddin Shah revealed to The Wire never in his life has he felt that being a Muslim was a handicap. But now he is reminded of that identity all the time, which is very worrying.

According to the report in The Wire, For Shah, the prime minister’s contempt for students and intellectuals is hardly surprising—never having been a student himself, the prime minister lacks empathy and compassion towards them. “It is astonishing and bewildering. The prime minister himself follows hate spewers on Twitter,” Naseeruddin Shah said.