Saif Ali Khan, the Hindi actor, issued a statement on Sunday apologising for his recent comment where he said that his upcoming film Adipurush will show the “humane” side of Raavan. In the statement, the actor said that it was never his intention to hurt people’s sentiments, reported ANI.
The actor faced criticism after he said in an interview with Mumbai Mirror, that Adipurush will attempt to “justify” Raavan’s actions. “It’s interesting to play a demon king, less strictures in that. But we will make him humane, up the entertainment quotient, justify his abduction of Sita and the war with Ram as revenge for what was done to his sister Surpanakha by Lakshman, who cut off his nose,” he told the daily.
Soon after, BJP leader Ram Kadam wrote on Twitter, “If Adhipurush plans to show Ravan in positive light and justify the inhuman act of abduction of Sita Maa, we will never allow that to happen. Hope better sense prevails (sic).”
The actor also received criticisms from Prabhas fans who asked the director, Om Raut, to replace Khan with another actor.
Actor #SaifAliKhan makes an extremely shocking statement regarding his forthcoming film Adipurush. Saif who plays Ravan’s character says Ravan’s abduction of Sita Maa will be justified in the film. Ravan’s humane side will be shown and his war against Sri Ram will be justified.
— Ram Kadam – राम कदम (@ramkadam) December 6, 2020
“I would like to sincerely apologise to everybody and withdraw my statement. Lord Ram has always been the symbol of Righteousness & Heroism for me. Adipurush is about celebrating the victory of good over evil and the entire team is working together to present the epic without any distortions,” Khan further said in his statement, according to ANI.
Adipurush, starring Prabhas and Khan, is set to release in theatres on August 11, 2022, simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. Touted to be an action drama, the magnum opus will be a 3D feature film based on the Sanskrit epic Ramayana.
Khan and Raut have previously collaborated in the Hindi historical action film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, which released earlier this year.
