‘It is about air, not religion

Soni Razdan responds to backlash over her remarks calling bursting firecrackers ‘anti-national’

Alia Bhatt's mother and veteran actress Soni Razdan responded to the backlash over her remarks against bursting firecrackers during Diwali. After facing criticism and trolling on social media for calling the practice ‘anti-national’, ‘anti-life’ and 

‘anti-health’, the actress clarified that her comments were about air pollution and public health, and not religion.

The controversy began after Soni shared a post late on Tuesday night, urging parents to think about the impact of firecrackers on children’s health. Her remarks did not go down well with several social media users, who criticised her for using the term ‘anti-national’ in connection with bursting firecrackers.

However, responding to the criticism on Thursday, Soni said her message had been misunderstood and “twisted”. Taking to X, she explained what she meant by using the term ‘anti-national’ and maintained that her concern was the worsening air quality.

She wrote, “I think you are simply unable to see the woods for the trees. Let me clarify something, since my use of the word anti-national seems to have caused so much confusion. Bursting crackers is not what makes you nationalistic. And choosing not to burst them is certainly not anti-national. What I find deeply irresponsible, however, is knowingly contributing to the appalling air pollution that is making it increasingly difficult for people to breathe.”