Exclusive! Athiya Shetty calls Deepika Padukone “extremely courageous” on her visit to JNU

Deepika Padukone hit the headlines when she pledged her support to the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University after they were attacked by masked goons earlier this year. The actress received mixed response for her brave stand where on one side she was praised for standing up and taking a stand, she was also trolled and slammed on the other side.
Recently, in an exclusive chat with ETimes, Athiya Shetty opened up about Deepika’s JNU visit.She said, “I think it was extremely courageous. It is very easy to sit behind a computer screen or a phone and comment. However, to show up and to be part of a movement or part of something, it takes a lot of guts. You need to be extremely brave and that is what she is.”
Check out the interview here:

Elaborating further about the backlash Deepika received for her brave step, she added, “You can listen to the haters but haters are going to hate.”
Speaking about her reactions on the current situation, Deepika had earlier said in an interview with a news channel that whatever she wanted to say she had said it two years ago when ‘Padmaavat’ was released. She added that what she is seeing today, it pains her. She also hoped that it doesn’t become the new normal where anyone can say anything and they can get away with it. She stated that she is afraid and she is sad.
Deepika was in Delhi with her director Meghna Gulzar abd co-star Vikrant Massey to promote her then upcoming film, ‘Chhapaak’.
Several Bollywood celebrities, including Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu, Vishal Bhardwaj, Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha and Zoya Akhtar, among others, participated in a protest held at the Gateway of India in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Deepika will next be seen in Kabir Khan’s ‘’83’ co-starring husband Ranveer Singh. She is also co-producing the movie. Apart from this, she will also be seen in an untitled film with Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday. She has also announced her film, ‘Draupadi’.