Youth of the country on the verge of building a new India, says Prakash Raj in Keralam’s Thiruvananthapuram

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Actor and social activist Prakash Raj addresses a gathering at Manaveeyam Veedhi in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, in solidarity with the nationwide protests against the alleged irregularities in SIR and demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

The anguish, anger and responsibility of the youth of the country will change the regime, actor and activist Prakash Raj said here on Friday (October 16, 2026). He urged the youth to keep their fight going with a smile, “because our smile, our laughter is our resilience.”

Mr. Prakash Raj was addressing a packed audience at the Manaveeyam Veedhi in the State capital, which had transformed into a protest zone on Friday evening, raising the slogans “Stop Special Intensive Revision (SIR)” and “Dismiss (Chief Election Commissioner) Gyanesh Kumar.” The event, Jantar Mantar@ Manaveeyam Veedhi, was organised by Collective for Democracy.

He said that a big responsibility rests on the shoulders of the youth, as they are on the verge of building a new India. “And with that responsibility comes another responsibility. Protest peacefully,” he said. The protests, Mr. Prakash Raj said, are not anymore Delhi-centred, but they are also Thiruvananthapuram-centred, Kochi-centred, Tamil Nadu-centred, Karnataka-centred and south India-centred.

“Tell them we are not afraid your lathis. And youngsters have said we are not afraid of your jails also. We are not afraid. Come arrest us. What more joy than to go to jail for the country. What more happiness than to go to jail for the Constitution,” he said.

Mr. Prakash Raj said that he has stopped shooting for the next six months. “I don’t want to be known as an actor now, because Kerala loves me for my ‘nilapaadu.’ I’m proud and liberated because of that,” he said.

He urged the youth to use the social media for their fight, “because they are afraid of social media. They thought they were the masters of social media, but now they are confused.”

Actor and social activist Prakash Raj addresses a gathering at Manaveeyam Veedhi in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, in solidarity with the nationwide protests against the alleged irregularities in SIR and demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Before Mr. Prakash Raj’s arrival at the venue, an attempt by the police to seize the microphone allegedly on the grounds that the organisers had not sought permission had created tension.

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