Tele-Celebs expresses their views on Independence!

On Independence Day, August 15, tele-celebrities share their views on what being independent means to them. Here’s what celebs like #SnehaNamanandi, #MeeraDeosthale, #JasminBhasin, #DelnaazIrani, #AvinashMukherjee, #DusshyantWag, producer #ChitraVakilSharma, director and producer #NiveditaBasu, expressed.

Actress Sneha Namanandi: 15th August reminds us of how our freedom fighters passionately fought for the country’s freedom. It is an overwhelming day for every Indian. It has a great impact on me. For me, it’s a day when I remind myself that we are powerful, strong and free. My favourite freedom fighter is Bhagat Singh. He was a brave revolutionary. Whenever I read about him, I get goosebumps. Sure, I attend the flag hoisting ceremony. In fact, we all should. Though the flag is a belief system, for me it is my pride.

Actress Meera Deosthale: Independence means following your heart and having the freedom to do so. It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice. My favourite freedom fighter is Mahatma Gandhi who practised non-violence. My favourite patriotic song is “Sandese Aate Hai” from the film “Border”. Pandemic has taught us to value life.

Actress Jasmin Bhasin: Independence means living life with a lot of responsibilities. India is a progressive nation and we need to value all that we have. We should focus on what we can be. We, as a nation, have huge potential. My favorite patriotic song is ‘Teri Mitti’ from ‘Kesari’. When you listen to patriotic songs, you do feel good about your country. My favourite freedom fighter is Bhagat Singh as he fought and stood for what he believed in.

Producer Chitra Vakil Sharma: Thousands laid down their lives so that our country can celebrate this day. I cannot forget their sacrifices, so all the leaders are my favourite and we all owe them. I connect with the song “I Love My India” from “Pardes” movie. It makes me feel so good. It’s about why we should choose our motherland amongst all the places where we can live. So let’s take a pledge to protect the peace and unity of the country during this pandemic.

Director / Producer Nivedita Basu: Independence for me has been the independent upbringing that I have got from my parents. If I can do the same for my child, I think then I’ll be able to bring her up rightly in an independent world. My favourite freedom fighter would be Bhagat Singh because studying in the north and then being exposed to so much, I like the ideology that such a young guy had, that spirit to make sure that his future generations would live in a free India still gives me goosebumps. I mean even though he shot the Britisher but he did it in honour of Lala Lajpat Rai back in that day and that was a big thing. To be selfless for your country is inspiring. I personally like Vande Mataram for the simple reason that I’ve heard so many renditions of Vande Mataram. My favourite is AR Rahman’s version.

Actress Delnaaz Irani: Independence means being responsible and also being able to follow your heart at the same time. We get one life and we must make the most of it. Life is in present. We are part of the progressive nation and we must respect our freedom fighters, who got us freedom after a lot of struggle and blood on August 15, 1947. My favourite freedom fighter is Rani Laxmibai. She was a true warrior. My favourite song is Har Karm Apna Karege from the film “Karma”.

Actor Avinash Mukherjee: I think it’s a very important day for our nation. Every single Indian gets emotional on this day when the Indian flag is hoisted and the National Anthem is sung. Any patriotic films of Akshay Kumar have not failed at the box office. My favourite freedom fighter is Bhagat Singh. At the age of 23, he actually sacrificed his life for the country, and in our 20s, some of us get sad, depressed or think of ending our lives for a simple thing like a girl rejecting our proposal. We should be strong-headed and thick-skinned. My favourite song is Aye mere watan ke logo.

Actor Dusshyant Wag: Independence is freedom in every sense, to be able to live life with our own thoughts, choices and ideologies. To be able to express without any fear, to be able to understand people as an individual and their thoughts without any prejudice or biases, also defines independence. The very first name that comes to my mind when I think of freedom fighters is Vinayak Damodar Savarkar aka ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’. He was the Hero! He was a visionary! His bravery, his vision, his foresight was extraordinary. Despite his immense contribution in India’s freedom fight, we, unfortunately, don’t hear a lot about him, for whatever reason. You will know what I mean if you happen to read about him. If he would have been inactive in politics after independence, India would have been on different horizons today. There are quite a few favourite songs of mine which fall under the category of conventional ‘patriotic songs’. But I love these creations purely on creative grounds and keep listening to them every now and then. My love toward these songs is not restricted to just Independence Day or Republic Day. I love all the songs in the films, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Border. My all-time favourite song has been Maa Tujhe salaam by A R Rahman.