The post that vanished: Naseeruddin Shah’s vanished post sparks debate on art, freedom, censorship

You know how sometimes someone says something online that hits a nerve — not because it’s outrageous, but because it’s true? That’s exactly what happened when veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, never one to hold his tongue, posted a note supporting singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh. What followed wasn’t just a routine round of online drama. It became a fascinating case of digital censorship, national sensitivities and the tangled mess that is artistic freedom in the internet age.And just like that, a Facebook post became a firestarter.So, what exactly did he say?Well, not a whole essay — but it packed a punch. Shah called out the backlash against Diljit for casting Pakistani actress Hania Aamir in his upcoming film. Without mincing words, he backed the artiste’s right to work with whoever he wants and subtly slammed the nationalistic outrage brigade. The post ended with a spicy sign-off: critics, if you’re that upset, “go to Kailasa.” Now, if you’re not plugged into India’s internet culture, that’s a cheeky reference to a fictional “country” created by a controversial self-proclaimed godman. It was part sarcasm, part eye-roll. Classic Shah.But here’s the twist: the post disappeared — soon after it went live.Wait, he deleted it?Actually… no.That’s where things got strange. The post was gone, sure — but Shah clarified later he didn’t delete it. Facebook did. Or, to be more precise, it was taken down. And he wasn’t exactly whispering about it either. His response? Pretty much a shrug followed by, “I haven’t deleted anything and I don’t care a fiddler’s fart about backlash.”So now we weren’t just talking about an actor backing another artist — we were staring at something bigger. A platform silently removing a post, public backlash flipping to assumptions and a veteran artist refusing to tone it down.Shah’s subtle comebackInstead of reposting or ranting, Shah took a different route. He returned to Facebook with a single, cryptic quote: “It is almost impossible to carry the torch of truth through a crowd without singeing somebody’s beard.”It was quiet. But it landed with weight.That’s the thing about Shah — he doesn’t do theatrics for attention. He’s been around long enough to know when to make noise and when to speak softly. This time, he said plenty without naming names.Was it a response to the trolls? A nudge at Facebook? A note to younger artistes not to back down? Maybe all of the above.Online outragePredictably, the reactions flew in from all sides. Some accused him of being “anti-national” (a label that’s lost all meaning lately), while others claimed he “backed out” of the post. But anyone who’s followed Shah’s career knows that backing out isn’t exactly in his playbook.But this is what happens now, right? Someone speaks up, the internet misreads it, the platforms step in and suddenly, the platform becomes the story.It begs a bigger question — not about who’s right or wrong, but who gets to stay online. If a post doesn’t violate any real rules, why’s it pulled? Was it mass reported by bots? Flagged as political? Is there a moderation algorithm somewhere that chokes on sarcasm?We don’t know. And honestly, that’s the unsettling part.Art isn’t a visa officeThe heart of the problem is not just one Facebook post or one film. It’s the growing discomfort with cross-border artistic collaboration. Hania Aamir is Pakistani. Diljit is Indian. That’s it. And yet, the casting was enough to spark a social media meltdown.But art doesn’t carry a passport. It doesn’t go through immigration checks before casting a role. And if you ask Shah — and plenty of others quietly watching — that’s how it should stay. Still, in today’s climate, where national sentiment often bleeds into cinema, music and even food (remember the butter chicken debates?), these lines are more blurred than ever. It’s as if choosing to work with a Pakistani actor is some coded political statement. It’s not.It’s just storytelling.What now?Shah won’t apologise. Diljit won’t recast. Facebook won’t explain. And honestly, that’s okay.Because maybe what matters is this moment sparked a conversation — the uncomfortable kind that art should stir in the first place. You don’t have to agree with Shah. You don’t even have to like the movie. But if we get to a point where speaking your mind gets quietly erased by invisible hands, we’ve got bigger things to worry about than casting choices.

The post that vanished: Naseeruddin Shah’s vanished post sparks debate on art, freedom, censorship

Yathesht Pratiraj

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