Hero’s daughter targeted over NEET protest support

Actor Mohanlal's daughter and actress Vismaya Mohanlal has come under a massive cyber attack after expressing support for the CJP-led student agitation in New Delhi against alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and questioning the brutal police crackdown on protesters.

Thousands of students had marched from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leaks when police stopped the procession with barricades and dispersed the protesters using lathi-charge and tear gas.

Images of bleeding students circulating on social media prompted Vismaya to post a strongly-worded message on her Instagram Story.

"Is this how a democratic country should treat its own citizens? When citizens raise their voices, if the response is brutal suppression instead of dialogue, we must ask ourselves what kind of democracy we are becoming," she wrote.

Her post immediately triggered a coordinated wave of abuse, largely from social media accounts supportive of the BJP and the Central government.

With Vismaya's debut film 'Thudakkam' set for release on August 7, several users also called for a boycott of the movie, alleging that her remarks were aimed at generating publicity.

Hostile comments soon flooded Mohanlal's official Facebook page and news posts carrying the story.

Many targeted both the father and daughter, with remarks such as, "Ask your father what happened to Prithviraj," "You've ruined Lalettan's name," and "Our families will not watch your film."

Others branded Vismaya and several film personalities supporting the students as "anti-national" and used derogatory communal slurs while invoking unrelated issues such as the Pahalgam terror attack.

However, the cyber offensive has been matched by a strong show of support.

A large number of social media users praised Vismaya for speaking out against the police action despite knowing it could invite criticism and potentially affect her father's popularity and her own acting career.

While Facebook witnessed an avalanche of abusive comments, many Instagram users rallied behind the actress, applauding her for taking a clear stand on an issue of public importance.

The online attacks have not been limited to Vismaya. Actors Tovino Thomas, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Rima Kallingal, Prachi Tehlan, and film-maker Aashiq Abu, all of whom voiced support for the protesting students, have also been subjected to trolling, personal abuse and boycott calls, highlighting the increasingly polarised nature of political discourse on social media.