Actress Devadarshini, a familiar face in Tamil cinema and known nationally for her role in The Family Man, recently joined the Chennai protest organised in support of the ongoing CJP agitation. In videos shared from the demonstration led by filmmaker Pa. Ranjith, Vetrimaaran and Ameer, the actress expressed solidarity with protesting students and urged the public to participate.
“I am very proud of this generation,” she said, adding that she was disturbed by visuals of students allegedly injured during the Delhi protests. She also mentioned that her daughter was taking part in the demonstrations.
Sharing the video on Instagram, Devadarshini wrote, “Hello people of Chennai! If you want to show your support for the students of our country, do gather at Balan Illam located in T. Nagar for the CJP protest… Proud of the youth of our country. Don’t let democracy die.”
However, while her participation in the protest attracted attention, it also reignited questions about her own past association with the very examination that many protesters are seeking to abolish.
The NEET Advertisement That Contradicts Her Current Position
Long before joining protests against NEET, Devadarshini had appeared in promotional campaigns for Velammal Bodhi Campus’ NEET Repeaters Programme.
The advertisement, titled “No. 1 in Tamil Nadu | NEET Repeaters Batch”, encouraged students to enrol in coaching classes designed to help them clear the medical entrance examination. Marketed as “A Second Chance For Acing NEET Exam,” the campaign promoted the examination pathway and positioned NEET success as an achievable goal through specialised coaching.
At the time, the advertisement served to attract aspiring medical students to a commercial coaching programme built entirely around the continuation of NEET.
Today, however, the actress has aligned herself with protests that seek the complete abolition of the same examination.
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The contrast between these two positions has prompted criticism on social media.
One wonders how someone who commercially endorsed a NEET coaching programme is now publicly campaigning against the existence of the examination itself. While individuals are free to change their views over time, Devadarshini has not publicly explained what led to her apparent shift in position or addressed her previous endorsement.
The absence of such an explanation has fuelled allegations of selective activism and inconsistency.
Comments Disabled Amid Calls for Democratic Protest
Adding to the criticism was Devadarshini’s decision to disable comments on her Instagram post announcing her participation in the protest.
While her post urged people to “not let democracy die” and called for public participation, followers were unable to publicly question or debate her changed position on NEET because comments had been turned off.
The move drew criticism that calls for democratic engagement are less persuasive when public discussion on one’s own platform is simultaneously restricted.
A Case of Contradictory Celebrity Activism?
Devadarshini’s participation in the anti-NEET protest has therefore become less about her presence at the demonstration and more about the contradiction between her past commercial endorsement of NEET coaching and her present opposition to the examination.
Opposing NEET today while having previously promoted businesses built around the exam raises legitimate questions about consistency and accountability.
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