A resurfaced video of BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj asking Rahul Gandhi to sing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram drew a five-word reaction from actor Hrithik Roshan and renewed debate over the link she drew between patriotism and Rahul’s call to ‘smash the patriarchy.’
Hrithik Roshan reacted to a month-old video of BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj with the comment: “Huh? Is this real. Wow.”
Bansuri Swaraj challenged Rahul Gandhi to sing all six stanzas of Vande Mataram after his call for women to ‘smash the patriarchy.’
The resurfaced clip reignited debate because Swaraj appeared to link Gandhi’s feminism-themed remarks with the Congress practice of singing only two stanzas.
# What happened
A month-old video of BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj resurfaced after actor Hrithik Roshan reacted to it on social media. In the clip, Swaraj challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to sing all six stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram, tying the demand to Gandhi's recent call for women to "smash the patriarchy." Hrithik's short public reply — "Huh? Is this real. Wow." — drew attention and a large number of likes and replies.
# Why the clip matters
Bansuri Swaraj offered a different response: she said that if Gandhi truly wanted to "smash the patriarchy," he should sing Vande Mataram in full — all six stanzas. She contrasted that with the Congress practice of singing only two stanzas of the song at public gatherings, and she framed her challenge as a test of patriotism.
# Social media reaction and why Hrithik's reply amplified it
Hrithik's reaction brought renewed attention to Swaraj's August remarks. At the time of the report, his comment had accumulated over 10,000 likes and more than 100 replies. Social media users pointed out an apparent mismatch between a discussion about patriarchy and a demand to sing a national song. Sample reactions included quips about confusion between patriotism and feminism and jokes about musicianship.
# The political framing
Swaraj's challenge referenced the Congress stance on singing only two stanzas of Vande Mataram, noting a change described in the clip as making it mandatory to sing all six stanzas at public events. The resurfaced video reopened questions about why a cultural or ritual demand was used as a counter to a message about gender inequality.
# What people are asking
Viewers and political communicators asked: What does singing Vande Mataram have to do with fighting patriarchy? Does linking a national-song-formality to a gender-equality appeal clarify anything, or does it shift the debate to symbolic tests of loyalty? The clip prompted punchlines and criticism rather than a policy conversation about women's rights.
# Bottom line
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