Bollywood star Ranveer Singh has issued a prompt and sincere public apology following a significant cultural controversy sparked by his on-stage imitation of the revered Daiva possession scene from the Kannada blockbuster, Kantara: Chapter 1. The incident occurred during the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, where Singh attempted to pay tribute to the film’s star-director, Rishab Shetty, who was present in the audience.
In a viral video from the event, Ranveer, while enthusiastically praising Shetty’s performance, mistakenly referred to the sacred deity—the Chamundi Daiva—as a “female ghost” and proceeded to theatrically mimic the intense, climatic act of divine possession.
This action immediately drew massive criticism across social media and led to formal police complaints from groups like the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), who alleged that the actor had insulted the deity and deeply hurt the religious sentiments of the Tulu-speaking community, for whom Daivaradhane (spirit worship) is a profound and sacred tradition, not a subject for light-hearted performance or caricature.
Responding swiftly to the escalating backlash and the legal action, Ranveer Singh took to his social media to issue an unconditional apology, clarifying his intention behind the act. He emphasised that his only goal was to highlight his “utmost admiration” for Rishab Shetty’s powerful and demanding performance.
If I’ve hurt anyone’s sentiments, I sincerely apologise.” The apology, issued just ahead of the release of his own film, aimed to de-escalate the controversy by acknowledging the cultural gravity of the scene. The core issue of the row was the actor’s mischaracterisation of the Daiva—a revered folk deity—as a “ghost,” coupled with the perceived insensitivity of mocking a ritual that holds immense spiritual significance for the coastal Karnataka community, thereby highlighting the delicate balance celebrities must maintain when engaging with regionally specific cultural and religious expressions.
