Anurag Kashyap backs Sonam Wangchuk: 'I don't have the courage to do what he's doing'

Anurag Kashyap and Sonam Wangchuk. Pics via X

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has joined the growing list of public figures extending support to activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has now completed 18 days of his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Taking to Instagram Stories, Kashyap penned an emotional note, calling Wangchuk a courageous man standing up for truth and justice.

Anurag Kashyap calls Sonam Wangchuk a braveheart

"There was a time when hunger strike had some meaning. People don't go on hunger strike just like that. It's really troubling when the system becomes so indifferent to people's lives. Only a man as empathetic and a believer of truth and justice has the courage to do that. I don't have the courage to do what Sonam Wangchuk is doing," Kashyap wrote, adding that he stands with the "braveheart that Sonam Wangchuk is."

The filmmaker later shared another strongly worded post on his Instagram feed. "This is going too far," he wrote, before adding in the caption, "Even the deaf aren't this deaf and the blind aren't this blind. Even the hearts of animals and demons aren't this cold. They are worse than them. I feel ashamed to stay quiet any longer."

Bollywood celebs back Sonam Wangchuk

Kashyap's post comes as concern continues to mount over Wangchuk's health. According to the Cockroach Janata Party, which is spearheading the protest, the activist has reportedly lost considerable weight and muscle mass during the course of his fast.

Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has repeatedly maintained that he will not end his hunger strike until the government agrees to hold an open dialogue. The protest, which began on June 6 at Jantar Mantar, is demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in the NEET examination.

Anurag is the latest celebrity to publicly support Wangchuk's movement. Zeenat Aman, Abhay Deol, Prakash Raj, Chinmayi Sripaada, Swara Bhasker, Soni Razdan, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah and Shabana Azmi are among the many public figures who have voiced their support. While several have backed Wangchuk's cause, some have also urged him to end his hunger strike given his declining health.

As the activist enters the 18th day of his fast, calls for dialogue continue to grow, with supporters hoping for a peaceful resolution before his health deteriorates further.