The terror attack in Pulwama which killed over 40 CRPF soldiers on 14th February has been termed as the deadliest terror attack on state security personnel since 1989. A vehicle-borne suicide bomber attacked a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway at Lethpora in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

It was indeed a ‘black day’ for India and the entire Bollywood came forward to condemn the terrorist attack. Several celebs, including Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Anupam Kher, Anushka Sharma, Javed Akhtar, and Vicky Kaushal have expressed their condolences on social media. 

Ranveer Singh tweeted: “Disgusted at the cowardly terror attack on the #CRPF soldiers in #Pulwama - my sincere condolences to the families of our brave jawans. Saddened. Angry”. Salman Khan tweeted: “My heart goes out for the Jawans of our beloved country and their families who lost their lives as martyrs to save our families... #YouStandForIndia”.

Film workers protest against Pulwama attack (The Quint)

Other Celebs also tweeted their tributes to the martyred soldiers. Priyanka Chopra wrote “Absolutely shocked by the attack in #Pulwama...Hate is NEVER the answer!!! Strength to the families of the martyred jawans and the CRPF soldiers injured in the attack.”

A Pakistani newspaper The Nation hailed the suicide bomber as “valiant” reporting the attack as ‘a fight for freedom’. Janhvi Kapoor took to Instagram to strongly slam the “propagandist article”. “It’s tragic and irresponsible that the truths of such a condemnable act are being distorted by the media to suit their political agendas. These men have been robbed of not just their lives but also the respect that they deserve as protectors of a nation. Let's pray for the souls of our brave men and for the strength of their families. #jaihind,” she wrote.

Vicky Kaushal, who played the role of an Army officer in Uri: The Surgical Strike, said the terror attack should not be forgotten and forgiven. “I think our government will be thinking of the best move, they would be discussing these things and we should leave it to them. This should not be forgotten and should not be forgiven,” he said. The actor said he is thankful to everyone for their love and support for his film but at the moment he is saddened by the Pulwama terror attack. He also lauded megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s decision to donate Rs. 5 lakh each to the families of the martyrs.

Swara Bhaskar called the attack a heinous crime which had made everyone very sad and angry. "I think we must mourn as a nation and unite in this time and not fight with each other. We must stand together as a nation. And we must keep this anger and let the Army do its job, they know what they should do," she said. "They don't need our advice; they need our support and unity. And we should keep them in our prayers. We must not bring our personal thing now as it is not the right time and platform to do so," she said.

To condemn this terror attack, 24 film associations, including Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) and Indian Film & Television Directors' Association (IFTDA), staged a protest at Film City in Goregaon, Mumbai on the 17th February (Sunday). The protest saw participation from major film bodies, associations of cinematographers; make up men, costumes, junior artists, editors, fighters and dancers.

BN Tiwari, president of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), told PTI that all the film bodies have decided to ‘completely boycott’ any Pakistani artiste working in Hindi films. “We won't let any film release which has even a song by any Pakistani singer, forget about actors. We will take strong action if we come to know anything,” he said.