Bollywood dances to war drums

As the divide between Pakistan and India grows irretrievably deeper with the escalating violence in the name of so-called Operation Sindoor, two things have become impossible to ignore.

The first is the jingoistic rhetoric spewed by Bollywood celebrities on social media. And the second is the outrage of Pakistani A-listers at this flagrant call to violence in the guise of patriotism.

What Bollywood says

In the wake of the Indian military attacks that have resulted in the deaths of 31 Pakistani civilians, including a child, Indian stars have made no secret of where they stand. Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Suniel Shetty, Sidharth Malhotra, Kanagana Ranaut, and Adnan Sami, lauded the actions of their armed forces on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), signing off messages with "Zero tolerance for terrorism" or the ever popular "Jai Hind".

"Operation Sindoor's success reflects the commitment of our armed forces to protect the nation," posted Sidharth on X. "We show zero tolerance for terrorism. Jai Hind ki Sena!"

Meanwhile, keeping her message shorter, Kajol wrote, "Respect and gratitude to our armed forces. Jai Hind." Her husband, Ajay, expressed similar enthusiasm, writing, "Saluting our honourable prime minister and our Indian armed forces. India stands tall and strong. Jai Hind!"

This latest congratulatory display of Bollywood fanning the flames of violence forms a diametric contrast to the grief and condolences displayed by Pakistani celebrities in the immediate aftermath of the Pahalgam attacks that formed the prelude to India's deadly military action across the border.

'No one celebrated Pahalgam'

Forming a scathing response to their Indian counterparts, Pakistani stars Urwa Hocane, Faysal Quraishi, Hina Altaf and Hasan Raheem took to their respective Instagram handles to clap back at the one-sided nationalistic pride of the Bollywood community.

"Literally no one in Pakistan celebrated Pahalgam even though we were wrongly accused for it! And then they are celebrating killing our innocent children and women! Cowards of the highest form!" penned a furious Urwa, pointing to the clear difference in social media presence of stars on both sides of the border.

Urging her followers to do whatever they could in their own capacity to boycott Bollywood stars, Urwa continued in Urdu, "To hell with these Indian actors! I don't know what they have done that you are dying to follow them. It's a dead industry now."

Signing off on a rousing note, Urwa finished: "Stop watching their sh** films that never existed without a small part [of] maligning Muslims or Pakistanis!"

Faysal's reminder about freedom

Echoing similar sentiments, actor and host Faysal Quraishi posted a video on his Instagram handle condemning Indian stars for condoning violence and urging his Pakistani followers to exercise caution in whom they support.

"All these actors from Hindustan - wow. Well done," began the Deemak star, his voice laced with sarcasm and bitter disappointment. "You all tweeted the same things congratulating your county on their attack. You thought they were doing such a brilliant job ending terrorists."

Making allowances for the Bollywood community succumbing to nationalist expectations, Faysal sardonically continued, "I understand. Maybe there is pressure. Maybe they have to say whatever they are being told."

Stressing the human cost of war and reminding viewers that the incident at Pahalgam remains shrouded in mystery, the actor added, "But you should find some humanity in yourself before putting them out there for the world to see. A child has died. Whatever happened in Pahalgam has not been established. We do not know who is behind it, and we never will."

Paying homage to the betrayal felt by Pakistani civilians who, until now, have supported the Bollywood industry without basing their decision on politics, Faysal noted, "But what you did, we saw it. The world saw it. Children have died. Civilians have died. It is desperately sad. For Muslims, embracing martyrdom is the ultimate reward. But at the end of the day, an innocent child died - and you all are celebrating? It hurt me deeply to see these tweets."

Faysal also alluded to the silver lining of Pakistani stars having the freedom to be themselves on social media without being silenced by a government. "We are so free in this country that whatever we want, we say," he noted. "What we do not want, we do not say. No one tells us what to do or say. Whatever we say and do, it comes from our hearts. Pakistanis, wake up. These people that you follow and are crazy about - look at them now. Look at their tweets. And you are still following them? Freedom is a very valuable thing. Remember that."

Dichotomy in responses

Singer-songwriter Hassan Raheem, too, unconsciously echoed what Urwa and Faysal had taken pains to illustrate: that unlike Indian celebrities endorsing military strikes, Pakistani stars had unanimously condemned the deaths in Pahalgam.

"All due respect to my Indian fam, and especially my Pakistani side, I just want to clarify that the problem is not whether or not Pakistan was behind the Pahalgam," began the YOU singer. "We have asked for proof, but we have not received any. But this is not something you or I can get to the bottom of anyway. We cannot find out from our homes. These things are beyond us."

Reminding viewers of the clear dichotomy between Indian celebrations and Pakistani empathy, Hasan further addressed his Indian fans, "The problem is that a child died in the middle of the night and civilians died, and I saw your response and your happiness. When the Pahalgam attack happened, everyone in Pakistan condemned it and said it was a terrorist attack, and also denied responsibility for it. We just can't do it. You think we don't have enough atrocities in our own country? That is the problem here."

Taking to her Instagram Stories, actor and host Hina Altaf joined the outrage. Posting a screenshot of inflammatory, congratulatory posts by Bollywood stars, the Mehroom actor began, "Pakistan condemns the loss of innocent lives both in our homeland and yours. But it's heartbreaking to see joy and celebration over the pain we're going through."

Addressing her fans and followers, Hina urged a widespread boycott of anyone supporting violence, even inadvertently. "All I ask is that we unfollow, unsubscribe, and step back from them and those who choose to live in this county but stay silent when it comes to our soil," she implored. "While some voices across the border promote war, we continue to speak of peace and friendship. But all this can't be one-sided. We don't need to connect with those who can't stand for what's right even in times of grief."