Vismaya Mohanlal, daughter of actor Mohanlal, has opened up about the criticism she received after expressing support for students protesting over the alleged NEET paper leak issue.Addressing the controversy for the first time, Vismaya said she continues to stand by the views she had expressed.
Vismaya Mohanlal says she has no regrets
During an interview with FTQ with Rekha Menon, Vismaya reaffirmed her position. She said people in a democracy should have the freedom to raise questions and express their opinions.According to her, dialogue should always take precedence over the use of force. She also stressed that humanity should remain above political differences.“I stand by what I said. I believe that we are a democracy. We should always be allowed to question and be heard. We should always have dialogue instead of force, and I don’t think your politics should ever supersede your humanity. Regardless of which party is in power, if the same happens tomorrow, I would still feel the same way.”
Social media post triggered debate
Vismaya’s original post focused on the importance of democratic values during public protests.Her post read, “You don’t have to agree with the protesters. You don’t have to support their demands… But if the response to citizens raising their voices is overwhelming force instead of dialogue, every one of us should stop and ask what kind of democracy we are becoming.”
Major Ravi shares his perspective
Filmmaker Major Ravi also weighed in on the controversy during a social media live. Speaking about Vismaya’s remarks, he said he has known her since childhood and believes her comments were driven by compassion rather than politics.According to the director, Vismaya was moved by the suffering faced by students. He said her post should not be viewed as a political statement but as an emotional response to a humanitarian issue.The controversy surrounding celebrity reactions to the student protests was not limited to Vismaya. Actor Tovino Thomas also faced backlash from supporters of a political party after he shared a post expressing support for the student demonstrations in Delhi.Meanwhile, Vismaya is set to make her acting debut with Jude Anthany Joseph’s upcoming film ‘Thudakkam’. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on August 7.
