Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jul 28: Veteran actress Soni Razdan, mother of Bollywood star Alia Bhatt, has opened up about her family's powerful history of resistance during Nazi Germany—drawing parallels to the current humanitarian crisis in Palestine.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Razdan shared how her grandfather courageously published an underground newspaper against Adolf Hitler during the height of Nazi rule.

“In this terrifying and uncertain atmosphere, he had the courage to run an underground newspaper against Hitler,” she wrote. “They distributed it as widely as they could… One day he was found out.”

According to Razdan, her grandfather was arrested and imprisoned, later sent to a concentration camp. However, thanks to legal support, he was eventually released—but with a stern warning: never to return to Germany.

Reflecting on her grandfather’s bravery, Razdan said,

“My grandfather had the courage to stand up against a tyrant all those years ago. When I see what is happening in Palestine today, I’m so glad he is no longer alive. It would have broken him. The very people he fought so hard to save have turned into those that oppressed them.”

She also highlighted that many Jews today stand in solidarity with Palestinians, just as not all Germans supported Hitler—but few had the courage to openly resist.

“I don’t have half his courage, but in honour of his legacy, I speak out today because I must… To keep silent when atrocities are being committed is a crime,” she wrote.

Razdan expressed that her family history deepens her emotional connection to the suffering in Gaza and Palestine, where ongoing conflict has drawn international concern and condemnation.

Her daughter, Alia Bhatt, showed quiet solidarity by liking the post, while numerous social media users praised Razdan’s bold and thoughtful reflection on history, conscience, and the moral responsibility to speak out against oppression.