‘The whole of India is silent’ — Saheefa Jabbar Khattak slams Bollywood’s silence on Palestine
As people continue to block and call out Hollywood celebrities for not raising their voices about the plight of Palestinians, actor Saheefa Jabbar Khattak questioned what everyone was doing about Bollywood celebrities as they remained silent about Israel’s aggression in Gaza.
“What are we doing about Bollywood? Our neighbouring country, where we are eager to work, and where we speak so highly of them in our interviews, NONE of them have spoken against the ongoing genocide,” Khattak highlighted in an Instagram story.
The Rafta Rafta actor urged people to stop hyping up Bollywood celebrities and wishing them on their birthdays, adding that the Indian government had banned Pakistani artists from working ‘for them’. She continued that people from Pakistan were rarely offered good roles in Bollywood, and that during “this genocide, the whole of India is silent”.
“It’s time that we focus on our craft, make better films and dramas, and stop seeking validation from them or anyone.”
Khattak’s statement comes after Gaza’s health ministry announced that nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive. Despite worsening conditions in the Gaza Strip, including an Israeli airstrike which triggered a massive blaze killing 45 people in a tent camp in Rafah, Bollywood bigwigs have largely remained silent.
The list of those who have spoken up is rather short. In October 2023, actor Sonam Kapoor was one of the first A-list Bollywood celebrities to reshare pro-Palestine content on her Instagram story.
Shortly after, Priyanka Chopra, who is an ambassador for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), also posted a story about the impact of Israeli aggression on children.
Tanu Weds Manu actor Swara Bhaskar also posted in 2023, stating, “Bombing kids is not self-defence. Stop the genocide” and urged people to stand up and speak out for Palestine.
Emerging Indian actor Reem Sameer Shaikh also posted an image of the Palestinian flag, captioned “Save Palestine”.
Unfortunately, this is where the list ends. Not many other prominent Bollywood names have posted so much as a story even alluding to the brutalities Palestinians continue to face.
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