Producer Ashoke Pandit slammed veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah over his "dimaagi Naxal" remark and his support for protesting Jamia Millia Islamia students.
The more he vents out his frustration, he's getting exposed day by day, every day."
He backed the protesting Jamia students, declaring, "I am a dimaagi Naxal."
Actor Naseeruddin Shah has condemned the use of force against students at Jamia Millia Islamia, describing himself as a ‘dimagi naxal’ in a video shared on Facebook.
#NaseeruddinShah #JamiaMilliaIslamia #JamiaProtests— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 28, 2026In the fiery video, Shah spoke about the labels pinned on him by self-appointed guardians of the government.
Producer Ashoke Pandit slammed veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah over his "dimaagi Naxal" remark and his support for protesting Jamia Millia Islamia students. The students have been holding demonstrations and a hunger strike demanding the restoration of their elected students' union, which has remained banned by the university administration since 2006.
While speaking to news agency ANI, Ashoke Pandit criticised Shah, calling him a "compulsive abuser" whose public outbursts stem from deep-seated frustration. He even asked him to consult a psychiatrist.
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"I am not shocked, nor am I surprised, by Naseeruddin Shah's abusive language because, for the last few months, in a year in fact, he's been constantly misbehaving, has become a compulsive abuser. The kind of language which he uses, the way he distorts his face, he exposes his frustration. There are reasons behind it, I can understand, and I pity him," said Ashoke Pandit.
He added, "When I see him, totally distorted, totally frustrated on camera, and he's trying to vent out his frustration. The more he vents out his frustration, he's getting exposed day by day, every day."
Pandit linked Shah's statements to ideological friction and commercial shifts in the film industry. He alleged that the veteran is unable to process the success of films featuring contrasting political narratives.
"Probably one of the reasons why he's feeling insecure is that the films which are doing well in the country are not suiting him. Films like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story and Dhurandhar. These narratives do not suit them. They're suffering from an inferiority complex. Hence, this is the kind of behaviour with which he's trying to come out," Pandit said.
"So I think, in the end, I would like to tell him that he should consult a psychiatrist because it's affecting his mental health. A normal person will not behave like this," he added.
Earlier, Shah posted an intense video taking on the government while expressing his support for the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and Jamia Millia Islamia. He backed the protesting Jamia students, declaring, "I am a dimaagi Naxal." He questioned the government over student oppression and called the government tukde-tukde gang.
Actor Naseeruddin Shah has condemned the use of force against students at Jamia Millia Islamia, describing himself as a ‘dimagi naxal’ in a video shared on Facebook. The actor criticised the Centre and expressed concern over the atmosphere of fear and anger on campus, calling the treatment of students disturbing. #NaseeruddinShah #JamiaMilliaIslamia #JamiaProtests— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 28, 2026
In the fiery video, Shah spoke about the labels pinned on him by self-appointed guardians of the government. "Beyond that, I don’t know what other labels the (chaukidaar) watchmen have pinned on people like me - anti-national, tukde-tukde gang, and who knows what else," he said.
Calling the people surrounding the government a "band of foolish, dishonest individuals, the veteran actor said, "What more will you do? How far will you go to break the spirit of our nation’s youth, destroy our educational institutions, and put our democracy at risk?"
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He then added, "First, Jawaharlal Nehru University, then the Satyajit Rai Film Institute, and now Jamia Millia Islamia - students are being subjected to oppression. This will be remembered.
Shah also targeted sections of the media and the BJP’s IT cell. Referring to what he called the “paaltu kutte” (pet dogs) in the “Godi media”, he accused them of repeatedly peddling nonsense. He also criticised the party’s IT cell, describing its members as an “ignorant, incompetent lot”.
“Go ahead, throw everything you’ve got at us,” he declared, before asserting: “The spirit of our nation’s youth will not be broken, our educational institutions will not be destroyed, and our democracy will not be imperilled.”
The 76-year-old had previously supported Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) students staging an indefinite sit-in over campus violence. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting them for demanding administrative accountability.
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