Naseeruddin Shah Praises Covid Frontline Workers, Attacks Modi Govt’s ‘Indifference’ During Lockdown

Mumbai: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has criticised the Narendra Modi government over its handling of the 2020 nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, alleging that it displayed an attitude of “indifference” towards the public. At the same time, he paid a heartfelt tribute to doctors, nurses, and volunteers who put themselves at risk—and, in several cases, lost their lives — during the pandemic, PTI reported.
Speaking at the launch of Trust in a Time of Crisis in Mumbai, Shah said that going through the book and listening to doctors speak about their experiences during the Covid-19 crisis was both eye-opening and distressing. The book documents the contribution of medical professionals and volunteers who worked on the front lines.
Shah read from the book’s foreword, written by senior advocate Indira Jaising, and referred to a passage titled The City That Fell Silent. The section recalls Prime Minister Modi’s address to the nation on the evening of 24 March 2020, when a 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced.
Shah criticised the government over the lockdown announcement, saying it showed little concern for the public.
“If I may add, (the announcement was made) with an attitude of….don’t expect any help from me, I am planning to grow my beard and my hair,” Shah said.
Lessons For The Future
The 76-year-old actor said the country should draw lessons from the pandemic rather than treat it as a closed chapter. He argued that a future crisis would not resemble Covid-19 and would therefore demand a different kind of response.
“The next public health emergency or any other disaster will unfold differently; it will demand different skills, different solutions and perhaps, not perhaps, definitely different forms of leadership,” the actor said.
Salute To Frontline Staff
Shah reserved his strongest praise for doctors, nurses, medical staff, and volunteers who continued working under severe pressure. He called those healthcare workers who died during the pandemic “martyrs” in the battle against an “invisible enemy.”
Comparing their experience with his own profession, Shah said imagination may be an actor’s most powerful tool, but it was insufficient to imagine the physical and emotional toll faced by those in PPE kits.
“Imagination is the greatest weapon an actor has, and having been in these situations, even my imagination fails when I think of what all of you, many of you went through in your PPE kits, I cannot even imagine that…the discomfort, the heat, the exhaustion of your work, nothing stopped you.
And my heart is bursting with admiration….you all upheld the hypocritical oath that you took,” he said.
Book Launch Setting
Trust in a Time of Crisis documents how medical professionals and volunteers responded during the pandemic, including the citizen-led relief effort that emerged in Mumbai. Shah’s remarks linked the book’s account of frontline hardship to a broader critique of political leadership during the lockdown.