Actress Alia Bhatt on Tuesday reacted to the tension between India and Pakistan during the past one week, lauding Indian soldiers and their mothers for their “sacrifice”.
Her reaction came days after India launched Operation Sindoor in Pakistan on May 7.
The 32-year-old actress opened up about her emotional distress and paid respect to the Indian soldiers who fought to protect civilian lives.
“The last few nights have felt... different,” Alia began her note. “There's a certain stillness in the air when a nation holds its breath. And over the past few days we've felt that stillness. That quiet anxiety. That pulse of tension that hums beneath every conversation, behind every news notification, around every dinner table. We have felt the weight of knowing that somewhere, out there in the mountains, our soldiers are awake, alert, and in danger,” she added.
“While most of us are tucked into our homes, there are men and women standing in the dark, guarding our sleep with theirs. With their lives. And that reality... it does something to you. Because you realise this isn't just bravery. It's a sacrifice. And behind every uniform is a mother who hasn't slept either. A mother who knows her child is facing a night not of lullabies, but of uncertainty. Of tension. Of silence that can shatter in an instant,” the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani actress further wrote.
Alia said that she spent Mother’s Day on Sunday thinking of mothers who raised our soldiers and carry that “quiet pride with just a little more steel in their spine”.
“We mourn the lives that have been lost, soldiers who will never come home, whose names are now etched in the soul of this country. May their families find strength in the nation's gratitude,” Alia, who is also a mother to her two-year-old daughter Raha, said.
“So tonight, and every night forward, we hope for less silence born of tension, and more silence born of peace. And send love to every parent out there holding prayers, holding back tears. Because your strength moves this nation more than you'll ever know. We stand together. For our protectors. For India. Jai Hind,” the actress signed off.
Alia’s post, however, did not sit well with some netizens. “They were soo worried during the war that they couldn't post a line for the country,” one of them wrote. “Nice cover up, Alia,” another Instagram user commented. “Too early to speak up,” a netizen added sarcastically.
The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor targeting terrorist settlements in Pakistan and PoK territories including Bahawalpur, a well-known Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold, on May 7 night. The late-night strikes came days after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly Indian tourists.