Was this Bollywood actor fired from his show for protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act?
Sushant Singh was recently let go from his TV show Savdhaan India and speculations arose that the termination was connected with his participation in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The actor tweeted about his time with the show ending and questions started pouring in as to whether it was in connection to his visible participation in the protests.
Speaking to Indian Express, the actor revealed that he, "got to know last night only that my contract is being terminated. I wasn’t given a particular reason, and I don’t even want to speculate. It can be a coincidence that it happened on the same day as my presence at the protest. I really don’t know the reason, but the channel has the right to change the host."
Sushant has been very vocal against the passing of the CAA and has been playing his part in condemning the act along with appearing at protests to show his solidarity. A fan even asked if his firing was related to speaking the truth to which he replied, "A small price to pay."
When asked about that comment he said, "Yes, because I feel if it was indeed a repercussion to my action, then it is a very small price that I could pay. I am shaken by whatever is happening and do not regret my actions."
According to Singh, "I cannot take responsibility of others, but I believe I have a voice, and I will speak. And it’s not that none of them spoke, there are people like Richa Chadha, Taapsee Pannu, Zeeshan Ayyub and even Anubhav Sinha, who have been vocal about the recent incidents. Jinko galat laga woh bol rahe hai, jinko nahi, woh chup hai. But it’s their call, and we have to respect their opinions."
“As for fear of losing work, I cannot comment on others’ choices. But for me, I have a very simple principle. I sell my talent, not my conscience. When my kids grow up and ask me what I was doing when students were being tortured, I should have an answer,” he added.
About the recent acts of violence suffered by the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University at the hands of the police, he said, "I am very disturbed, especially with the way students are being treated. First, it happened with JNU, where doctored videos were circulated, and they were given the tag of Tukde Tukde Gang. No one apologised to them, and they are still called by the same name. Similarly, the Jamia kids were not involved in any kind of violence, and the police even clarified the same."
Also read: Akshay Kumar claims he liked tweet mocking Jamia Millia University protest by mistake
Over 100 students and activists protesting against the contentious law were injured on Sunday; the police used excessive force and tear gas, getting violent with the students as they stormed the university.
Singh went on to say, "Even then, we all know what happened with them. It’s so strange that there’s footage of the bus burning but no visual of who lit it? There has been a constant effort to bring down one community and students’ voices. They are our future, and we cannot stay silent over this."
Singh is one of the few Bollywood celebrities to speak up about the matter and it looks like he's not stopping anytime soon.