Annu Kapoor has publicly criticised Naseeruddin Shah over the actor’s ‘dimaagi naxal’ remark, joining a growing list of industry figures who have spoken out against the veteran actor’s statement.

Kapoor told a news agency that Shah may be good at delivering powerful dialogues, but he doubts whether Shah really thinks about the country’s interest and welfare. He said he has several questions about people who make statements of this kind.

Woh achhe dialogue bolne mein maahir ho sakte hain, lekin mujhe shak hai ki woh sach mein desh ke hit aur kalyan ke baare mein kitna sochte hain.

Kapoor also made a point about democracy. In his view, it is the democratic system that allows people like Shah to speak openly, make such statements and take part in protests. Kapoor has made the same argument before. He believes peaceful protest is every citizen’s democratic right, but violence and damage to government property are wrong.

What Shah said

The controversy started with a video Shah shared recently. In it, he wore a badge reading ‘dimaagi naxal’, which means ‘mental Naxal’. He was voicing support for students of Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi, who are protesting to demand the restoration of the students’ union.

In the video, Shah said: ‘I proudly say that I am a mental Naxal. I don’t know what names the chowkidars have given to people like me. Sometimes they call us traitors, sometimes the tukde-tukde gang, and who knows what else.’

The remark did not sit well with many people. Shah was heavily criticised from several quarters, and a number of well-known artists from the film industry spoke against him. Kapoor is the latest to add his voice to that criticism.

A pattern of protest support

Shah’s latest statement is not an isolated moment. According to the reports, he has been backing student protests over the past few months through social media. Last week, he also supported a protest by students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata.

The Jamia protest did not happen in isolation either. Protests are being seen in several places across the country right now. Shah’s visit to the Jamia campus put him directly in the middle of that wave of student anger, and his words turned the demonstration into a national argument about his own remarks.

Shah’s words were not just a passing comment. He made a deliberate choice to wear a label that openly defies those who call protesters anti-national, and he did so while standing with students who are demanding that their union be brought back. That is why the reaction has been so sharp.

The clash between two veterans

What makes this row stand out is who is involved. Both Shah and Kapoor are veterans of Hindi cinema with decades of work behind them. When one senior actor takes a political position and another senior actor publicly questions his motives, the exchange quickly moves beyond a single news cycle.

Kapoor’s comments were measured in one sense. He did not dispute Shah’s right to speak. Instead, he questioned Shah’s intentions and his commitment to the nation’s welfare. He also tied the freedom to say such things to the democratic system itself, which lets both Shah and his critics speak their minds.

The row has not yet produced any formal response from Shah in the reports available. What is clear is that the debate has moved from the Jamia campus into the entertainment industry, with actors now lining up on different sides of a political question.