Many notable film actors and celebrities had come out in support of the recently organised Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests which eventually led to the resignation of former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. However, during a recent interview, veteran actor and Vivek Oberoi’s father Suresh Oberoi criticsed those who publicly spoke in favour of CJP and supported the protests.
Speaking to Nidhi Vasandani on her podcast channel, Suresh said, “We are responsible people. The world listens to you and follows what you say. Before speaking, you should research, see and understand who is behind it, who all are involved.” The actor also clarified his personal stance on such issues. “If I don’t know about something, I won’t speak about it. I’ll say, ‘I don’t know about it,” he said.
The veteran actor also raised questions on the validity of students who partook in the protests and the funding that supported the protests, adding, “Are they all NEET students, or are there politicians, people throwing stones or people creating a ruckus? Until you know, how can you become so vocal? I have heard and read so much about it — that there were foreigners involved, and that the Americans already knew about the protests. The US Embassy had even issued an advisory for American citizens in Delhi, telling them to be cautious and avoid the affected areas.”
Many eminent actors like Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Abhishek Banerjee, Pratibha Ranta openly spoke about and participated in the protests, expressing their solidarity to the students. On the other hand, there were many film figures who, like Suresh Oberoi, expressed their skepticism towards the whole movement, like Kangana Ranaut and Raveena Tandon among others.
It should be noted that Suresh's son, Vivek Oberoi played Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his biopic PM Narendra Modi (2019).
When it comes to his own work, Suresh, who has been active in the film industry for more than 45 years now, was recently seen in Animal (2023).
