‘This isn’t our culture’: Bhumi Pednekar faces backlash for criticising young protesters who abused PM Modi
New Delhi: Actress Bhumi Pednekar recently shared a post calling out abusive language used by some protesters against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Cockroach Janta Party-led NEET-UG 2026 protest.
However, the actress received significant backlash from social media users, with many questioning her stance on the police action that left several students injured.
What did Bhumi Pednekar say?
Taking to Instagram, Bhumi Pednekar shared a video condemning the use of foul language directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar.
She said in the video, “Looking at the videos surfacing now, the kind of language being used, and the way the youth of our country are speaking — the youth of our country… this isn’t how we talk, man. We are talking about someone who holds the highest office in the land today. And it’s not just about the office; would we ever speak like this to the elders in our own homes? Can we really resort to using abusive language?”
“Guys, this isn’t our culture; it’s wrong, and this really bothered me — that’s why I wanted to come forward and address this: a country will only progress and move forward when, collectively and unitedly, we discuss our flaws as well as the good things. Our culture and value system form our backbone; we shouldn’t stray from them, otherwise, we won’t be able to communicate the right things in the right way, and they will never be implemented or lead to change,” she added.
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Internet reacts to Bhumi Pednekar’s video
The video went viral in no time and several netizens questioned her for remaining silent on the police action against students, but spoke about protesters’ language.
One user wrote, ” Would you rather have someone say one cuss word at you or shoot an AK47 at you? It’s bold of you to condemned someone’s language while not condemning the disproportionate violence they had to face.”
“Would love to see you speak up when such language is used by our ministers too,” wrote another.
Another person shared, “Sitting in AC cars and full on makeup…very easy to give gyan.”
“Man, what a fall from grace…you are such a disappointment. I hope karma catches up,” wrote another.
Another asked, “Did you ask those in power what they did before the kids came onto the streets to protest?” Respect is earned and not demanded.”
“Looks like you have been waiting for the protest to complete so that you can now rate it on its sanity and sanctity.”
Bhumi drops another post following backlash
After the backlash intensified, she shared another video, condemning those sending rape and death threats to female protesters.
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She said, “I saw a video on the Internet, in which a young girl who was part of the protest was giving an interview, and she looked visibly broken and shaken.”
“Her one video had went viral, and since then she has been receiving rape and death threats, even her mother faced the same. This is unacceptable. We cannot bully a young girl. We cannot put fear psychosis in a young child’s mind just because we don’t agree with their opinion,” she added.
However, many felt that the second video was nothing but an attempt at “damage control” after she received massive backlash for her first video.