Facing flak for ‘selective’ activism over Jantar Mantar support, Kerala celebrities rally behind teacher rank-holders’ protest

A section of the celebrities in Malayalam cinema and television has come forward to express solidarity with the protest by lower primary school teacher rank-holders outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, after facing criticism for being ‘selective’ with social causes.

They mostly include people who had stood with the student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi that resulted in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Actors Tovino Thomas, Naslen, Chandu Salim Kumar, Vijeesh Vijayan, and anchor Ranjini Haridas are among those who have identified with the plight of the rank-holders, who had been staging an indefinite protest over the last three weeks. They are demanding immediate appointments from the rank list published by the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) on May 31, 2025 and accurate reporting of vacancies.

Through their social media handles, actors Tovino, Naslen, Chandu Salim Kumar, Leona Lishoy and Deepa Thomas have shared the videos of the protest by the rank-holders. Chandu Salim Kumar shared a message on social media against ‘selective solidarity’. “Selective solidarity does not make us any different from injustice. NEET paper leak matters. So does PSC’s administrative lapses. Let us take up their cause seriously and raise our voices where they need to be heard. Let us not allow political parties to divide our intentions. India’s youth and their efforts matter, irrespective of our borders,” he said.

Ms. Haridas, a popular television host who had joined the students protesting at Jantar Mantar, said in a social media post that she was not fully aware of the issues faced by the rank-holders protesting outside the Secretariat. “Many had brought it to my notice and had asked why I had not responded to it. There was not enough information available online about the protest by the rank-holders and I wanted to study it before taking a public position,” she said, adding that she would like to further hear from the protestors or their representatives.

Vijeesh Vijayan, whose roles in movies such as Nammal, Swapnakoodu and Classmates had shot him into fame, said in an Instagram message that “this is not NEET versus Kerala PSC. This is NEET and Kerala PSC. Its about every student who deserves a fair, transparent and accountable system. Whether the examination is conducted by the Centre or the State, every student deserves justice. Vande Mataram,” he said.

Besides independent voices in social media, the criticism against actors for being selective in their support for social causes had mostly come from social media handles of the right-wing forces. Tovino Thomas had faced online backlash after he criticised the Delhi Police’s clampdown on the protests. “When the future generation of a nation speaks up, and their voices are met with repressive force, it is the future itself that is being stamped down. It is faith in democracy that is being drained away. What did these students do wrong? Did they destroy property? Did they resort to violence? What exactly did they do to deserve this treatment? To every person protesting for a just cause, peacefully, in any part of our country, I extend my wholehearted solidarity. The right to dissent is not a threat to democracy; in fact it is one of its foundations,” he had said at the peak of the student protests.

Activists of the Yuva Morcha had staged a protest in front of the residence of Tovino in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district on July 22, 2026. They covered their mouth using black cloth and raised placards alleging that the actor had maintained silence when aspirants in Kerala held a symbolic protest by consuming soil against the delay in appointments by the State Public Service Commission. They alleged that he had failed to make any response when the nurses in the State had organised protests for months demanding better wages.

The online attacks against actor Vismaya Mohanlal, Mohanlal’s daughter, continued even after the student protests were called off on July 25, 2026 after she had extended support to the demands raised by the protestors. She had re-posted a story on her Instagram feed, condemning the Delhi Police’s actions to ‘suppress’ student protests led by the CJP.