Actor Ranveer Singh has issued an apology after copping a fair amount of criticism for his mimicry of actor Rishab Shetty from Kantara.
The mimicry took place at the closing ceremony of IFFI 2025, which Rishab also attended, when Ranveer took to the stage and did an exaggerated take on Rishab’s Daiva act from the Kantara films. He also referred to the daivas as ‘ghosts’ erroneously.
Ranveer Singh issues apology
On Tuesday morning, Ranveer took to Instagram and shared a note of apology on Stories. It read, “My intention was to highlight Rishabh’s incredible performance in the film. Actor to actor, I know how much it would take to perform that particular scene in the way that he did, for which he has my utmost admiration.”
The actor added, “I have always deeply respected every culture, tradition and belief in our country. If I’ve hurt anyone’s sentiments, I sincerely apologise.”
What was the controversy about
On Friday, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) came to a close in Goa. Ranveer was on stage at the closing ceremony, where he praised Rishab Shetty, who sat in the audience. Videos from the event showed the actor saying, “I watched Kantara Chapter 1 in theatres, and Rishab, it was an outstanding performance, especially when the female ghost (Chamundi daiva) enters your body – that shot was amazing.” He then went on to imitate the scene, leaving Rishab in splits. However, his remarks and actions did not sit well with a section of social media users, who called it insensitive and disrespectful. Many took offence to the act itself, and also Ranveer’s ignorance in calling the daivas – essentially forest gods – ghosts.
Another video showed that Rishab had warned Ranveer not to mimic him earlier in the show, which further angered fans. A Hindu group had submitted a complaint with the police against Ranveer on Monday for the act, alleging that he hurt their religious sentiments.
Ranveer Singh’s upcoming film
Ranveer is set to be seen in Dhurandhar, the spy thriller that releases this Friday. Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar stars Ranveer Singh as Indian spy infiltrating the gangs of Pakistan’s Lyari Town. The film also stars Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, and Sara Arjun.