Actor Ranveer Singh visits Chamundi temple in Karnataka, offers prayers post 'Kantara' mimicry row
Mysuru, May 26
Bollywood star Ranveer Singh visited the Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hills in Karnataka on Tuesday and offered prayers before Goddess Chamundeshwari as part of the resolution in the controversial Kantara mimicry case.
Ranveer Singh entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, performed a special puja and sought forgiveness before the deity. Sources said the actor had also taken certain vows during the visit. Photos and videos of the actor participating in temple rituals have since gone viral on social media.
The controversy dates back to a few months ago during an international film festival held in Goa, where Ranveer Singh had attended as a special guest. Actor Rishab Shetty was also present on stage during the event. During an interaction with Rishab Shetty, Ranveer Singh allegedly imitated a revered "daiva" character in a manner that many considered objectionable and disrespectful.
According to reports, despite Rishab Shetty asking him to stop, Ranveer Singh allegedly continued the imitation, triggering widespread outrage among sections of the public and devotees.
Though the actor apologised the following day, a complaint was later filed before the Karnataka High Court, alleging that the act had hurt religious sentiments. During the hearing, the court reportedly observed that the actor's conduct was inappropriate.
Subsequently, the Karnataka High Court quashed the FIR against Ranveer Singh after he submitted an apology before the court. As part of the resolution, the court directed him to visit the Chamundeshwari temple within four weeks and seek forgiveness.
With Tuesday's temple visit and special prayers, the actor has now complied with the court's direction, bringing closure to the controversy.
The development has assumed significance as Ranveer Singh had a falling out with actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar despite being chosen to replace Shah Rukh Khan in the iconic franchise Don 3.
Strong rumours have been circulating regarding an alleged ban on Ranveer Singh from the film industry, with fans attributing it to his act of mimicking a deity and the delay in tendering apologies before Goddess Chamundi in Mysuru.
— IANS
Reader Comments
🙏 Good that he apologized and followed court directions. But why do celebrities think they can mock our traditions? The 'daiva' character in Kantara is deeply revered in Tulu culture. Rishab Shetty must have felt terrible. Hope Ranveer has learned his lesson. Actions have consequences, even for stars.
Classic case of 'kuch bhi karo, maafi maang lo' mentality. Ranveer knew exactly what he was doing at that festival. He should have apologized immediately without needing a court order. Now he's complying because he has no choice. Bollywood needs to respect our regional cultures more. Karnataka won't tolerate this nonsense.
I'm not Indian, but I follow Bollywood. This seems like a fair resolution. Courts handling religious sentiments sensitively is good. But the 'Don 3' link is confusing - what does that have to do with this? Media trying to create drama unnecessarily.
Finally! Delay maadi (delayed), but okay. He should have done this months ago. The 'fans attributing ban' part is nonsense - nobody is banning him. He just needs to be more careful. Our culture is not a joke for entertainment. Rishab Shetty handled this with class, unlike some others.
Good closure. But the real issue is how easily religious sentiments get hurt these days. Is mimicry really that offensive? I'm a Hindu and I didn't find it that bad. We need to be less sensitive. Focus on real problems like unemployment and corruption, not on what an actor did
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.