Ranveer Singh caused a major controversy as he mimicked a major scene from the Kantara chapter 1 movie, during the International Film Festival Festival India (IFFI) closing ceremony in Goa. The actor mimicked Rishabh Shetty’s acting, which was not received as a joke by the crowd. Though the actor has issued a formal apology regarding the same, the impact of the episode is clearly visible in the box office collection of his latest release, Dhurandhar.
The moment caught negative attention as Rishab Shetty, the actor of Kantara, was seated in the audience. Singh’s remarks were considered insensitive by many, especially as he referred to Daiva as ghosts. Later, the actor posted a story on his Instagram handle, apologising for the act as he also clarified that his intention was not to hurt anyone, but to genuinely praise the actor for his incredible performance.
He also added that he respects all cultures and religions of the country, and was sincerely sorry if his actions caused disrespect to any section of the population. The incident occurred as Singh was on the stage and trying to re-enact the final scene from Kantara chapter 1. He addressed the actor who was sitting in the audience as he went on to commend him for his acting. He stated that he went to theatres to watch Kantara and was impressed by Shetty’s performance, especially “when the female ghost(Chamundi Daiva)” entered his body.
As soon as the clip went viral, users started trolling and stating that the mimicry was a serious insult to the forest deities and daivas, as they are worshipped and are not ghosts, as referred to by Singh. Many also pointed out that Shetty’s reaction to the action was also not apt, as he was seen laughing in the audience. Later, as the full clip was available, it was seen that Shetty warned Ranveer Singh not to mimic him, due to the sensitivity of the scene, but he was so lost in the moment that he was seen almost ignoring the advice. To which he later compensated with embarrassment and public apology.
