Actor Sushant Singh Rajput removed his surname on Twitter to show his solidarity with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who was assaulted by activists of Karni Sena, an organisation of Rajput community, on the sets of his movie in Rajasthan.
The 31-year-old actor said he decided to drop his surname "for a day" to send across the message that he does not represent people from the community who employed violence as a means to show their disapproval.
Bhansali was on Friday roughed up by members of Karni Sena, who stopped the shooting of his film "Padmavati" at Jaigarh fort by vandalising the set, alleging distortion of facts in the movie.
When asked what point he was trying to make by dropping his surname after the incident, Sushant told PTI, "Yes, I did it for a day to show that the unfortunate action is not what everyone with that surname endorses. They do not represent the entire Rajputs.
"There are ways to express your ideas, but violence is never an answer, and that too just on mere speculation."
However, the actor clarified that he will not change his name for good and it was only his way to register protest.
"I am not changing my name, that was a way to express that I don't endorse the view of a particular group which claims to be the representative of entire Rajputs and probably India."
On January 27, the "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story" star had taken to social media to raise his voice in support of Bhansali, that as a country, India would continue to suffer if its citizens' identities kept revolving around their surnames.
"We would suffer till the time we're obsessed with our surnames. If you're that courageous, give us your first name to acknowledge. #padmavati," wrote the actor.
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