Biryani Can’t Buy 2 Months of Loyalty & Protest: Ratna Pathak Shah

The veteran actor was in JNU on Friday, 14 February to perform at the ‘India, My Valentine’ event.

(Photo: Shah Umar/The Quint)

Cameraperson: Shah Umar

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar & Purnendu Pritam

Actor Ratna Pathak Shah has a message for those saying the women protesters in Shaheen Bagh are being bribed with Rs 500 and plates of Biryani everyday.

“I don’t think five hundred rupees or a plate of Biryani can buy two months of complete loyalty.”

The actor, who was in JNU on Friday, 14 February, to perform at the pro-democracy event, ‘India, My Valentine’, said, “The women who are coming to Shaheen Bagh are coming because they believe in what they want to say. They are worried about the future and the future of their children. So they are out there to make their point. I only wish people would listen.”

The veteran actor performed the play ‘Hindustan Chhod Do’ by Ismat Chugtai, something which she said is “apt for the times”.

Speaking to The Quint, she said, “In any climate, the connection with art is very important.”

Her two-line response on how she deals with hatred?

“By not talking about hate all the time. By talking about what is worth saving in India.”

To India, My Valentine: Artists Unite at JNU to Send a Message of Love

Romancing India this Valentine’s Day, multiple artists came together at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus to project their idea of India through music, poetry, parody songs and stand-up comedy.

The initiative, titled ‘India My Valentine’, has been organised by a small group of people, including actor and activist Swara Bhasker, and will be seen in different cities across India over the Valentine’s weekend.

The message from the organisers is a simple one:

“We gather to celebrate the India we know and love – the India of tolerance, the India of acceptance, the India that strove to be a better place for even her most oppressed children, the India that was a dream. We celebrate the India of Tagore and Gandhi, of Nehru and Maulana Azad, of Patel and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the India of Ashfaqullah, Bismil, Savitribai Phule, Fatima. The India of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar.”

Similar events were held in different parts of Delhi on Friday, including at the protest sites in Nizamuddin and Kardampuri.

Find the details about the venues in other cities, timings and lineups for ‘India My Valentine’ event here.