Overview
- Isha Koppikar posted an Instagram video on Tuesday in which she embraced the label 'andhbhakt' and said her 'blind devotion' is to India rather than to any political party.
- In the video she urged citizens to focus on contributing to the country, said patriotism allows questioning government policy, and wrote in the caption that she will 'proudly wear the label.'
- Kangana Ranaut, an actor and BJP MP, reshared Koppikar’s clip on Wednesday and publicly backed her remarks by citing personal episodes of protest and national service.
- Koppikar followed up by posting on Instagram Stories to accuse critics of twisting her words and to argue that being 'blind in love' for the country is different from blind loyalty to a party.
- Coverage by national outlets places the exchange in a larger debate about how celebrities use social media to shape ideas of patriotism and how the term 'andhbhakt' is used in Indian political discourse.