Film director Vivek Agnihotri has questioned actor Deepika Padukone’s visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) during the student protests in 2020, suggesting she may not have fully understood the political context of the situation. Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Agnihotri said it appeared unlikely that the actor was aware of the complexities of JNU politics.

Agnihotri claimed that Padukone’s appearance may have been orchestrated by her PR team to coincide with the promotion of her film Chhapaak, which released shortly after. “They may have advised her that associating with a politically active university could be a strategic move to promote the film. But if she had known the actual political implications, she might never have gone,” he said.

Dismissing suggestions that he was questioning Padukone’s intelligence, Agnihotri added, “It’s not about foolishness. Even people more powerful than her have been burned by politics.”

Agnihotri is currently preparing for the release of his upcoming film The Bengal Files, slated to hit cinemas on 5 September. The film features Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar, Puneet Issar, and Saswata Chatterjee in lead roles.