Soni Razdan shuts down religion angle after troll drags Ranbir into firecracker row
Veteran actor Soni Razdan has hit back at an X user who questioned her stand against bursting firecrackers on Diwali, bringing up her son-in-law Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of Lord Ram in Ramayana. The actor has clarified that her remarks have nothing to do with religion, stressing that her concern is air pollution and its impact on children's health.
The exchange began after an X user responded to one of Razdan's earlier posts on firecrackers. Pointing out that Ranbir plays Lord Ram, whose return to Ayodhya is celebrated as Diwali, the user questioned the actor's stance.
The post read, "Soni Razdan is Ranbir’s mom-in-law. The irony is that Ranbir is playing Ram, whose return to Ayodhya is celebrated as Deepawali, when people light diyas and burst crackers. Yet she says bursting crackers on Diwali is anti-life, anti-health and above all, ‘anti-national’. Really! (sic)"
Razdan wasn't amused by the comparison. Responding on Thursday, she wrote, "Then you are simply unable to see the wood for the trees. It’s not bursting crackers that is anti-national. What is anti-national is the fact that you are contributing to the terrible air pollution. My goodness. No wonder we all can’t breathe (sic)."
See her post here: She went on to explain that people were missing the point by viewing every statement through a religious lens. "People can’t understand a simple message because they think every statement is about religion. It’s not. It’s about air. And children are struggling," she added.
The actor also argued that irresponsible actions contributing to pollution should be the real concern, regardless of anyone's faith. "Because it’s your children, everyone’s children, irrespective of which religion they belong to, who are suffering. And so are the citizens of this country. I’m assuming that also includes you," she wrote.
The latest exchange follows Razdan's support for Dia Mirza, whose Diwali awareness video for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) became the centre of a political controversy. The video urged people to celebrate responsibly by avoiding noise and air pollution. However, after objections from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the civic body removed it from its social media accounts.
Razdan had earlier shared her views on the debate, arguing that bursting crackers shouldn't be treated as a measure of patriotism. In her post, she wrote, "Bursting crackers is not what makes you nationalistic. And choosing not to burst them is certainly not anti-national."
She also questioned the idea of knowingly contributing to pollution for a few moments of personal pleasure when people were already struggling to breathe. "If we are going to use the term anti-national, then surely putting the health of an entire community at risk for the sake of a few moments of personal pleasure is a far more relevant place to start," she wrote.
The actor further pointed to children falling ill, missing school and struggling with the effects of poor air quality. She maintained that the conversation should be about public health and collective responsibility, rather than religion or faith.
The controversy escalated after Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam objected to Mirza's awareness video, while Mayor Ritu Tawde described the actor as “anti-Hindu”. The BMC subsequently deleted the clip, prompting the Bombay High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and direct the civic body to restore it.
Razdan's latest response brings the discussion back to the point she has been making all along: air pollution affects everyone, irrespective of religion, and children shouldn't have to bear the consequences.- EndsALSO READ | Om Ka Hari review: Raghubir Yadav-Anshuman Jha hold this flawed family film together
