Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has declared himself a ‘dimagi Naxal’ in a fiery video, turning the ‘anti-national’ and ‘tukde-tukde gang’ labels back on those in power and challenging the government over its treatment of students.

In the video, Shah questioned how students have been treated at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and Jamia Millia Islamia. He said he was not sure what other labels the ‘chaukidaar’ watchmen had pinned on people like him, beyond the ones he had already heard.

Then he flipped the accusation. Shah called the government itself a ‘tukde-tukde gang’ before asking what more it was willing to do.

What more will you do? How far will you go to break the spirit of our nation’s youth, destroy our educational institutions, and put our democracy at risk?

He also went after the people around the government, describing them as a ‘band of foolish, dishonest individuals’ and asking how far they were prepared to go. The actor tied three institutions together in a single line of grievance: ‘First, Jawaharlal Nehru University, then the Satyajit Rai Film Institute, and now Jamia Millia Islamia - students are being subjected to oppression. This will be remembered.’

Poetry as a weapon

Shah did not stop at political argument. He recited a line from Bismil Azimabadi’s Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna, a poem closely associated with resistance and the struggle for freedom. The verse speaks of the desire for revolution before challenging the strength of those in power: ‘Let us see how much strength the killer’s arm has.’

He used the verse to reinforce his warning that the treatment of protesting students would not be forgotten. The choice of poem gave his remarks an openly defiant edge, aimed squarely at the authorities he holds responsible.

Targeting the media and the IT cell

Shah then turned to what he sees as the forces fuelling attacks on critics. He referred to what he called the ‘paaltu kutte’ (pet dogs) in the ‘Godi media’, accusing them of repeatedly spouting nonsense. He also lashed out at what he described as the ‘ignorant, incompetent lot’ employed by the BJP’s IT cell.

The attacks did not appear to be a passing remark. Shah reserved some of his sharpest language for the people he believes are shaping the public debate around dissent.

He closed with a line that is likely to define the clip for many viewers: ‘Go ahead, throw everything you’ve got at us.’ He followed it with a declaration that he framed as a promise to the country’s young people.

The spirit of our nation’s youth will not be broken, our educational institutions will not be destroyed, and our democracy will not be imperilled.

A pattern of public support

This is not the first time Shah has put his weight behind students on campuses. Last week, he backed students at SRFTI, who have been holding an indefinite sit-in following violent incidents on campus. The students are protesting against what they describe as the saffronisation and privatisation of campuses, and they have drawn support from visiting directors, actors, lawyers and student activists.

In July, he also criticised the government over its handling of the Cockroach Janata Party-led protest against irregularities in the NEET 2026 examination. Taken together, the statements show a consistent line: Shah has repeatedly stepped out of the film world to speak directly about student protests.

Why Jamia is now in the frame

The latest remarks land at a moment when Jamia students are pressing for concrete steps. They want a definite date for student union elections, which have not been held since 2006, and a clear timeline for approving the union’s constitution.

By bringing Jamia into the same conversation as JNU and SRFTI, Shah has made his position unmistakable. He has linked three separate campus disputes into one argument about how the state treats young people who protest. His message ends with a warning that those in power cannot simply silence dissent and expect it to be forgotten.

The video puts a high-profile name behind a set of grievances that students have been raising on their own campuses. It also sets up a direct confrontation with the government and its supporters, with Shah daring them to escalate further. How the authorities and the political machinery around them respond will determine whether this becomes another flashpoint in an already heated national debate over campus protest, dissent and the limits of political criticism.