Tele-Celebs talk about Independence!

Ahead of #IndependenceDay On August 15, celebrities have shared what being independent means to them. Here’s what they said.

Actor Hasan Zaidi : Not in the context of the nation, independence should ideally mean free expression, free speech, the freedom to practice one’s religion freely. The freedom to be able to meet, express and be all inclusive with each other. That to me is Independence.
I’ve always believed in nonviolence because I think violence is a very negative and useless emotion or practice nothing good ever comes out of it so for that reason Mahatma Gandhi is my favourite freedom fighter. Saare jahaan se accha Hindustan humara is my favourite patriotic song.

Actor Sharad Malhotra : Independence day means doing what you love and loving what you do. I believe in living life on my own terms. My favourite freedom fighter is Maharana Pratap. I got to play his role in tv show too. He was a real warrior. He inspires me always I love the song rang de basanti chola. The feeling of patriotism is always heart-touching. Pandemic has made us value life more. We should all celebrate Independence day in our respective buildings.

Actor Himanshu Malhotra : Independence means following your heart and standing for what is right. My film Shershah has just released. I feel fantastic being part of such a film. We all must value our independence. My favourite patriotic song is Ae Mere Vatan ke logo sung by Lata Mangeshkar. My favourite freedom fighter is Subhash Chandra Bose. He was a man of principles who set an example and as a child too his story fascinated me.

Actor Harjinder Singh : According to me, freedom is being transparent and not being scared of judgmental eyes and social acceptance of who you are irrespective of race, colour and caste. Even after seven decades of freedom, I feel that we are still trapped by social acceptance and social anxiety. Accepting the true version of yourself is real freedom. My favourite freedom fighter is Bhagat Singh who fought at such a young age and sacrificed his life for the nation. He was a warrior and was fearless. My favourite song is “Maa Tujhe Salaam” as it is very heartwarming.

Actor Zohaeb Farooqui : This day means a lot to me. It’s an emotional as well as proud day for us. Today whatever freedom we are enjoying, we are enjoying because of this specific day. Because this was the day when India gained its independence and was established as a free and independent nation. History does make us understand that there are so many people who contributed to this day. Picking one won’t be fair. Hence, from the bottom of my heart I value and salute to all those who made this day possible for us.

Chat show host Mahreen Khan : Independence means living your life your own way where you can breathe and think, where you can do things that you want. It’s not about boys or girls, it’s about everybody. My favourite freedom fighter is Subhas Chandra Bose.