After India launched its counter-terror operation codenamed Operation Sindoor, citizens across the country expressed strong support for the armed forces.
However, the film industry faced criticism for its perceived silence, with many questioning why leading Bollywood personalities did not speak out.
Addressing this criticism, actor and former Union Minister Smriti Irani said that the nation's support for its Army should not be measured by celebrity statements.
Reacting to the debate around Bollywood's response, she told Aaj Tak, "If someone is not with the country, and their lack of support offends you, then don't watch them. Because, as an ordinary citizen, how can you express your anger (against their silence)? By tuning off. It is wrong to say that if an actor did not stand with the Army, nobody stood with the Army. The whole country was standing with its Army."
She added that public support for the armed forces has never been dependent on the entertainment industry.
She added, "The ordinary citizen, was there. The day, the ordinary citizen, will not be there, that day, I will be worried. So, till the time an ordinary citizen, and the parliament of the country is standing with the Army, you can question the silence of the actor. But I don't believe the country is sitting around waiting for an actor to say 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai.' The nation is well aware of these realities by now."
As tensions escalated between India and Pakistan, questions were raised by opposition leaders about the extent of military losses and the number of aircraft downed by the neighbouring country. Several political figures have demanded clarity from the government. Responding to this, she said, "Parliament session is underway; it will definitely be told there."
She cautioned against sensationalising issues related to national security, shared, "As I said, it is very easy to give line-grabbing statements on the issue of national security. I cannot do it. I can speak very easily, but the right and responsibility of presenting facts in the Parliament is of the government, and the nation will run on facts."
Smriti Irani, who has held several key roles in the Union Cabinet, is now returning to television with the reboot of the iconic show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, 25 years after it first made her a household name.
