Has Bollywood found its political voice, thanks to Deepika Padukone?
Fearing a backlash from fans, politicians and religious zealots, Bollywood stars have in the past usually steered clear of India's fiery politics. But the country's top actress may have changed that.
Signalling a possible generational shift, Deepika Padukone waded into a sea of student protesters in Delhi on Tuesday night, evoking loud cheers from the surprised crowd.
Few had any inkling that Padukone would attend the demonstration at a prestigious university where the left-leaning student body has long been in the crosshairs of India's ruling party.
Her appearance sparked a social media war between those wanting her new film boycotted -- suggesting her only motive was publicity for the movie which released Friday -- and others applauding her courage.
Either way, many said the moment marked a watershed in India's multi-billion-dollar Hindi movie industry.
"It was a gutsy move," said Mumbai-based novelist and commentator Shobhaa De, and reflected a "big shift" for Bollywood.
"Stars today understand that their constituency is young India, and young India respects people who speak up," De told AFP.
In a country where obedience to elders is all but enshrined in law, young Indians are demanding the right to be heard, protesting against everything from university fee hikes to most recently a new citizenship law criticised as anti-Muslim.
And in an age ruled by social media, even movie stars are not insulated from the issues that matter to their fans.
"None of this would be happening without social media," said actress Swara Bhasker, one of the few stars who have consistently spoken out against the government.