Hyderabad: Adipurush’s cast has been visiting different places of worship to seek blessings for the success of their upcoming movie. Lead actor Prabhas was seen in Tirupati on Tuesday, offering prayers at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple. Following this, actress Kriti Sanon and director Om Raut were spotted at the Temple. However, a controversy arose when a video of the director and actress went viral.
In the viral video, Om Raut can be seen giving a goodbye kiss on Kriti’s cheek as she bids adieu to the director before getting in her car. This incident is not only garnering the attention of netizens but also authorities of the temple and other stakeholders.
Ramesh Naidu Nagothu, the BJP State Secretary in Andhra Pradesh commented on the incident in the now-deleted tweet, “Is it really necessary to bring your antics to a sacred place? Engaging in public displays of affection, like kissing and hugging, in front of the Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala is deemed disrespectful and unacceptable.”
The head priest at Telangana’s Chilkur Balaji Temple, in a video condemning the act said, “It is a reprehensible act as it is a pure environment of the Lord. Even married couples don’t visit the temple together. Acts of affection are condemned in the holy place. You can go to a hotel and do it. Your behaviour is insulting towards the Ramayan and Goddess Sita.”
Adipurush is an adaptation of the Hindu mythological epic of Ramayana. The epic is considered as a holy book for the people following the religion. The act hence can spark grave controversies as people are already unhappy with the adaptation. The ‘Boycott Adipurush’ hashtag has also been doing rounds on social media sites since the announcement of the film and the cast.
Several netizens are criticizing the act demanding an apology and strict action against Kriti Sanon and Om Raut.
One user commented, “Dont do like this at Temple Premises….They are not 3 years old Babies… File a Case Against him…” Another user supported the celebrities by saying, “See nothing wrong with it.. What is so controversial about this. A goodbye kiss on cheek by a dear friend” and “There is nothing wrong in that…. How could you say kiss is wrong emotion.”
Adipurush is scheduled to be released in theatres on 16th June. Saif Ali Khan is playing the role of the antagonist in the film. The movie is being considered as the lead actor, Prabhas’ biggest movie as the reported budget is Rs 500 crore. Now we’ll have to wait and see how the controversy affects the release of the movie.
| Edited by Rasti Amena | 
