Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani on why they didn’t attend CAA meeting with Piyush Goyal

At the Malang trailer launch, Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani opened up on why they did not attend the special meeting with Piyush Goyal and Baijayant Panda to discuss the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Union minister Piyush Goyal and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Baijayant Panda called for a special meeting with Bollywood celebrities on Sunday night to discuss the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The turnout was low, with many film industry folks choosing to give the meeting a miss.

Disha Patani and Aditya Roy Kapur at the trailer launch of Malang. (Varinder Chawla)

Malang actors Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani were asked at the trailer launch of the film if they received an invite to the meeting, to which they replied in the negative. Anil Kapoor, meanwhile, did not answer the question.

Producer and T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar remained tight-lipped about attending the meeting, which took place amid high security at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Mumbai. Though he was photographed arriving at the hotel, he said that it did not mean that he was there for the meeting. “I was in Grand Hyatt so that doesn’t mean I was in a meeting or something,” Bhushan said.

The team of Malang at the trailer launch in Mumbai. (Varinder Chawla)

PTI reports that filmmakers Abhishek Kapoor, Rahul Rawail and Kunal Kohli, music director Anu Malik, producer Ritesh Sidhwani, actor Ranvir Shorey, and singers Kailash Kher, Roop Kumar Rathod and Shaan, were among those who attended the meeting. According to the invite, which was reportedly sent out by producer Mahaveer Jain, the agenda of the meeting was to “facilitate a discussion on myths and realities pertaining to the CAA”.

“It was a good meeting. It’s great to see the government reach out to clear the air regarding the CAA. We were told that more such meetings are being organised with people from different walks of life. I already had no issues with the CAA and I hope more people are not misled about it affecting any Indian citizen,” Ranvir Shorey told the news agency.

Meanwhile, protesters gathered outside the venue and appealed to Bollywood to speak out against the contentious Act. “Bollywood we are watching. #MumbaiAgainstCAA,” one of the posters read. Another placard read: “Don’t disappoint yours fans. Reject CAA NPR NRC.”

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