Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah extended his support to students protesting for education reforms with an angry, emotional and strongly worded video message on Tuesday, July 21. Now, in an interview with The Wire, the veteran actor was asked why many A-list celebrities have remained silent on an issue that has gripped the nation over the past week. In his characteristic wit, Shah took a swipe at those who have not spoken up so far. “They’ll do it when their conscience tells them to. There’s a saying: a dog with a bone in its mouth can’t bark. As soon as the bone drops out of their mouth, or it breaks their teeth, then they will bark.”When asked whether he believed people were benefiting from their silence and therefore suppressing their conscience, Shah replied, “Absolutely, yeah,” before adding, “And how long can they do that? Time will tell.”‘Sab yaad rakha jayega’Earlier in the day, Shah shared a video message expressing solidarity with the protesting students and condemning the alleged use of force against them. “I would like to say two things to you all. The first thing is that if an uneducated person leads this country, then his heart will want the whole country to become as ignorant, incomprehensible, and merciless as he is. After completing two illustrious acting courses from the National School of Drama (NSD) and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), what I have learned the most about the craft is from those children, whom I have tried to teach.”He further said, “I sympathise with them. I am emotional, and at the same time, my blood boils seeing how the youth are being tortured by those goons who remind me of the mask-wearing agents in America. Think about your own children too. One day, you will also have to face the consequences of your actions.”Also Read | Nafisa Ali says she’s in fourth stage of cancer, in remission: ‘Won’t be silenced now’Addressing the students directly, Shah urged them not to lose hope. “Sometimes, think about your children, and also think that one day, you will also face the same fate. I want to tell all these children not to lose hope. Many people sympathise with you. Many people are with you. Keep fighting. I have always expected a lot from the nation’s youth, and my confidence in them has only gotten stronger now. I’d also like to tell the Government, sab yaad rakha jayega (everything shall be remembered).”Over the past two days, several members of the film industry, including Ratna Pathak Shah, Sonu Sood, Dia Mirza, Shabana Azmi, Swara Bhasker, Prakash Raj, Diljit Dosanjh, Riteish Deshmukh, Vir Das, Genelia Deshmukh, Richa Chadha, Sonakshi Sinha, Varun Grover, Anurag Kashyap, Vasan Bala, Seema Pahwa, Rajkummar Rao, Saumya Tandon and Ayush Sharma, have also voiced support for the protesters.Story continues below this adWhat happened at Jantar Mantar?The protests at Jantar Mantar, initiated by the Cockroach Janata Party last month, gathered momentum after educator and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike, which has now entered its 25th day. On Monday, students from across the country assembled in New Delhi and marched towards Parliament as the Monsoon Session commenced. Delhi Police attempted to stop the march, triggering widespread outrage on social media.The protesters have demanded a dialogue with the Central government and are seeking, among other things, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and other alleged irregularities in the examination process.