The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) held a major two-day event called “100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons” at the Nehru Centre in Worli, Mumbai, the Indian Express reported. This gathering, held on February 7 and 8 marked the start of the organization’s 100th anniversary celebrations.
A notable part of the weekend was the large number of famous actors and directors from the Hindi film industry who showed up. While the RSS usually stays out of the celebrity spotlight, this event saw many of Bollywood’s biggest names sitting in the audience to listen to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
The event focused on the organization’s past century and its vision for the future. However, for many onlookers, the main attraction was the rare sight of major actors from different generations coming together for a non-film event.
Day 1: Major stars at the event
On Saturday, the first day of the event featured a mix of both veteran and current stars. The Indian Express reported that Salman Khan was one of the most recognizable guests, sitting with lyricist Prasoon Joshi and director Subhash Ghai.
People at the event mentioned that Salman seemed to listen closely to the speeches, especially during the main talk. Ranbir Kapoor also attended, and as noted by PTI, his moustache – which he is growing for his character in the upcoming film Love & War—became a popular topic of conversation online.
Other well-known names like Hema Malini and Poonam Dhillon were also on the guest list for the first day. Directors like Nitesh Tiwari and Om Raut attended as well, which showed that several people from the filmmaking community were interested in the topics being discussed.
Producers Vikram Malhotra and Mahaveer Jain, who have been involved in various industry-government initiatives, were also present to mark the start of the centenary celebrations.
Day 2: A diverse industry presence
On Sunday, February 8, the second day of the event featured an even wider variety of celebrities. ANI reported that actors Akshay Kumar and Vicky Kaushal were in attendance, along with Ananya Panday and Raveena Tandon – bringing in actors from different generations.
Apart from them, the gathering also included well-known names in the industry like Karan Johar, Shilpa Shetty and Madhur Bhandarkar. The musical community was represented by composer Pritam and singer Adnan Sami, while television stars like Rupali Ganguly also attended.
During the second day of the event, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed several social and national issues, ANI reported. He spoke about the importance of being vigilant regarding illegal immigration and asked people to help identify individuals who might be in the country without proper documentation. He suggested that people pay attention to the language someone speaks as a way to spot outsiders.
One of the more discussed parts of his speech was his direct advice on how to handle the presence of foreigners and illegal immigrants. He said:
“We should inform the police that we suspect these people are foreigners, and they should investigate and keep an eye on them. We will also keep an eye on them. We will not give employment to any foreigner. If someone is from our country, we will give them employment, but not to foreigners. You should be a little more vigilant and aware.”
He also talked about the situation in neighboring Bangladesh, noting that there are about 1.25 crore Hindus living there. He mentioned that if they choose to stay and stand up for their rights, they would have the support of Hindus from all over the world. Additionally, Bhagwat touched on internal organization matters, stating that the position of RSS chief is open to any Hindu who works hard for the group, regardless of their caste or background.