Numerous Bollywood stars, including Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan, have recently expressed solidarity with Palestine in the wake of Israel’s attack on Rafah. Alia Bhatt, in particular, took to her Instagram stories to share a heartfelt message advocating for love, safety, and peace for all children, using the hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah. This sparked a trend, with other celebrities like Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dia Mirza, and Swara Bhasker, joining in to show support for Palestine.
However, their show of solidarity was met with criticism from netizens who accused them of hypocrisy and selective activism. Many pointed out the celebrities’ silence on issues affecting non-Muslim victims, such as the plight of Hindu girls in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the situation of Kashmiri Pandits, and the persecution of Hindus in those countries. Netizens expressed disappointment that these celebrities had not spoken out on these issues earlier and accused them of only raising their voices when it concerned Muslims.
The criticism underscores a perceived inconsistency in the celebrities’ advocacy for human rights issues and their alleged failure to address the suffering of non-Muslim communities. This controversy has sparked debate on social media about the role of celebrities in speaking out on global and domestic issues and the importance of consistent activism regardless of religious or ethnic affiliations.