As young people from all over the country raced towards Parliament in Delhi, it exposed the arrogance of the government, yet again. But it also exposed another group of people to the harsh disinfectant of sunlight. And it was not a pretty sight.

Away from the soft filters of the screen and the spotlight of the red carpet, it displayed the filmmaking community for what it is: not the thought leaders we have made them out to be, but mere actors, following a script they have been given. About time too.

We have invested too much time and energy on silhouettes on the silver screen. We want them to be the characters they play for us, on and off the screen. If a wise friend, philosopher and guide conducts the longest quiz show in the country, we believe he is as kind-hearted in real life and would surely be moved by the plight of ordinary students and their hapless parents, who know that education is the only way they can improve the quality of their lives.

If an actor who has spoken about issues ranging from domestic violence to religious disinformation steps away from difficult questions about a character he has played onscreen only because the latter is currently persona non grata with the state, then you begin to question your own iconisation. And if yet another actor, a much admired ambassador of love, is strangely silent when young people are being beaten on the streets of the country's capital, you wonder at your former, younger self.

Just as we get the government we elect, we get the stars whose movies we endorse. "They should do something good instead," says Hema Malini, Dream Girl of Bollywood and three-time Mathura MP, referring to the young people protesting against paper leaks and a faulty examination system. Being an MP, at least she has no choice but to speak up when mics are thrust in her face. There are others who duck inconvenient questions, happy to speak in reverential tones at the trailer launch of their own epic movie consecrated by a godman-turned-businessman, or mark attendance in Nagpur as thanksgiving for their greatest patriotic hit, or even turn up, spouse in tow, to watch the inauguration of a long promised temple.\

They are artists, we are told; why should they have a view on politics? And then, so what if actors abroad stand up for what they believe is right, whether it is Javier Bardem who speaks up for Palestine or Hugh Grant who has become the poster boy for media overreach. There is no fear of reprisals there, as in India. But the actors we are talking of are also among the richest in the country. As Prakash Raj, an actor of immense talent, said this week: "Why should I be afraid of speaking the truth? I don't want to die before I die."

For every Prakash Raj who speaks, Shabana Azmi who agonises, and Naseeruddin Shah who stands in a corner, observing quietly, there are hundreds of established celebrities who stay silent, fearing the wrath of the government. We who put them on a pedestal, seeing God-like qualities in them, should see them for what they are: hollow men, with their headpieces filled with straw. After all, a hollow core is the best transmitter of light over long distances. Think of our stars as these transmitters, with empty hearts.

Much of it is also because we live in the Age of Anti-Intellectualism, where allegations of elitism have made the educated shrink and the loutish louder. It has also made the herd instinct stronger. A flock of sheep has members who look pretty similar to one another. But as a character in the marvellous recent film, The Sheep Detectives, tells us, "It is often thought that all sheep are alike. But a single flock of sheep will, in fact, contain animals with many different characteristics and personalities. There will be kind ones, friendly ones and stand offish ones. Smart ones and foolish ones. Shy ones and show offs." Perhaps that is what is happening in India now. The sheep are stirring.

Young people are learning to stand apart, speak for themselves, and demand accountability. Not merely from the government, but from those it had once considered to be icons. And they are learning to value ideas above individuals, intellect over emotion, true achievers instead of false gods, and only those performers like Joseph Vijay for whom politics is not performative but an honest struggle to change lives. It doesn't have to be perfect, and the results are not instantaneous, but at least there is an attempt.