Mute Icons, Viral Punchlines

The student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar have found support from activists, academics and a handful of film personalities. But as voices of solidarity grow louder, the silence of Bollywood’s biggest stars has become a story in itself. While actors like Shabana Azmi, Imran Khan, Prakash Raj, Naseeruddin Shah, Huma Qureshi, Swara Bhasker and Preity Zinta have publicly stood with the students, many A-list celebrities have stayed on the sidelines.

The online response to that silence has been unforgiving. Instagram pages, X (formerly Twitter) users and Reddit communities have flooded timelines with biting satire aimed at actors and cricketers who have remained silent while thousands of students marched on the streets demanding accountability.

Cost of staying ‘Gayab’

Actor R. Madhavan finally reacted to the ongoing NEET protests on Thursday, but not before facing intense online criticism over his prolonged silence. Students at FTII mocked him by plastering his office with “Gayab” (Missing) memes and “NEET for Sale” posters, while social media users questioned why the star of socially conscious films like 3 Idiots and Rang De Basanti — and someone known for his frequent patriotic posts — had remained silent for so long.

Fan clubs turn critics

Katrina Kaif fan page with 70,000 followers announced it was shutting down because the actress had not spoken about the protests. “I am closing this FAN PAGE because KATRINA KAIF doesn’t have the spine to speak for Indians. You betrayed us when we supported you at your lowest,” the admin wrote. The post quickly went viral, prompting similar debates across fandoms of stars like Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone. While Alia Bhatt broke her silence on Thursday, her statement drew criticism, with one comment quipping, “Even Alpha didn’t play it this safe.”

Selective and safe outrage

Similarly, Preity Zinta and Salman Khan have been mocked for issuing what many users described as “safe” or carefully worded statements rather than directly addressing the protests. One viral meme humorously suggested Salman Khan had copied his statement from ChatGPT, while another mocked Shah Rukh Khan’s trademark open-arms pose, quipping that the superstar could master Bollywood’s most iconic pose but still lacked the spine to speak on the issue.

Akshay Kumar, long associated with nationalist cinema, has been shown against images of the protests with a speech bubble saying, “Main tumhare liye awaaz nahi utha sakta… desh-bhakti pe movie banani hai.” Another meme mocks Virat Kohli, asking him to let people know when he is ready to review Dhurandhar.

A decade-old screenshot of Amitabh Bachchan condemning the use of tear gas during the 2012 protests has also resurfaced, with users calling him a “chameleon.”

Tollywood isn’t escaping

The scrutiny has extended well beyond Bollywood. On Telugu social media, fans have been asking why stars like Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan and Jr NTR — whose films such as Bharat Ane Nenu and RRR celebrate justice, sacrifice and patriotism — have chosen to remain silent.

Many users have contrasted their silence with actors Dulquer Salmaan and Pradeep Ranganathan, who acknowledged the protests, sharing screenshots of their posts while tagging Telugu superstars with captions such as, “Take notes” and “This is what using your influence looks like.”

Fame, silence and scrutiny

Political memes have long been part of India’s online culture. Today, however, they have evolved into a form of public accountability, with celebrities finding themselves judged as much for what they don’t say as for what they do. Actors are increasingly expected to have opinions — not only when promoting films or endorsing causes, but also when moments of national significance unfold.

What’s striking is that many of these memes don’t ask celebrities to endorse one political side or another. Instead, they question whether stars who routinely speak about mental health, the environment, women’s empowerment or patriotism should remain completely silent when thousands of students are protesting across the country.

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Rajkummar Rao breaks silence on Modi campaign song

After Rajkummar Rao voiced support for the ongoing protests , a social media user questioned his appearance in the Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai campaign song. The song has recently been used by critics to mock celebrities, with users questioning why some stars publicly praise the government but remain silent on student protests. Responding to the criticism, Rao claimed he was “pressurised” into being part of the video. The now-deleted reply, screenshots of which went viral, showed the actor telling a user who accused him of losing respect over the “propaganda song” that “one song does not define who I am, what I stand for, or my ideologies.” He added, “You can never know the pressure,” and said he stood by what was right.