Prakash Raj's wife Pony Verma says Gauri Lankesh's murder devastated actor, motivating him to take a stand despite losing films and ads | Hindustan Times
Actor Prakash Raj is known for being vocal about his politics both online and in person. The actor’s honesty has often left people with polarising opinions. His wife, choreographer Pony Verma, says his friend, activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder in 2017, devastated Prakash but also motivated him to take a stand. She also revealed that he has lost work because of his honesty, but he refuses to back down.
Reporter-activist Gauri Lankesh and actor Prakash Raj were close friends.Prakash Raj’s wife says Gauri Lankesh’s murder devastated actorOn Prema’s YouTube channel, Pony was asked if she had never asked Prakash to take a beat with his political opinions, given the kind of polarising response he gets for them. “In the beginning, I used to be very scared. When we heard Gauri’s news, I saw him devastated completely. He was broken and said, ‘I kept telling her.’ How we are scared for Prakash, he was scared for Gauri. When Gauri died, something just shook him completely. He said, I will talk. As a woman, she stood, she spoke,” explained the choreographer. Pony also stated that while she would be scared for their lives, Prakash would ask her how long they must remain afraid.
Pony then spoke about times when Prakash was banned from working in various film industries for various reasons. She stated that there were actors close to her who didn’t like him. Calling him brave, she added, “Everybody is comfortable, everybody is shooting, everybody is making money, and everybody wants to be in good books. There are certain actors who don’t need to be scared of not getting work, because of them, others get work. I know how much his work got affected in the industry. The way the ads went off, films were taken away from him. He has suffered immensely in his profession. But he says, my conscience says what is happening is wrong, so I should not accept this.”
Prakash and Gauri had been friends for over 35 years before she was shot dead in front of her Bengaluru home in 2017. Paying homage to his friend on X (formerly Twitter), the actor once wrote, “We miss you Gauri .. but “we have not buried you .. we have sowed you”. You are an inspiration .. and yes, we promise .. we will never let your VOICE be missed. #NaanuGauri #GauriLankesh #justasking.” Following her murder, he began a series of posts he titled #JustAsking to demand accountability. Every year on her death anniversary, he uses the tag #NaanuGauri (I am Gauri) to honour her.
Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.Read More
