Actor Prakash Raj
Actor Prakash Raj has received a legal notice from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy, demanding a public apology from the former for allegedly speaking against the Hindu mythological scripture Ramayana.
The issue dates back to January 24, the Kerala Literature Festival, where the actor, in conversation with novelist TD Ramakrishnan, discussed the topic ‘Arts and its Resilience.’
Prakash Raj described a fictional play based on Ramayana, where ants are the characters, instead of human beings.
According to his story, Ram, Sita and Lakshman from North India travel down south during their exile and enter a forest farm owned by Ravan.
A hungry Lakshman sees the forest fruits and tells Ram he desires to eat them. “There are fruits. Can we eat?” asks Lakshman. To which Ram says, “No, this is somebody’s farm.”
“But is it stealing?” asks Laksman
“If we are hungry, we can eat,” replies Ram.
When they finish eating, they are spotted by Shurpanakha and Ravan. “Shurpanakha calls her brother and complains about them. But Ravan tells her they are hungry, let them eat,” says Prakash Raj.
Ram calls the brother-sister duo ‘tribals,’ to which Ravan replies they are the owners of the forest. “Since you have eaten the fruit, you have to pay the price,” says Ravan and asks his sister to calculate, which comes to USD 2,000 with GST.
The audience at the literature festival burst into laughter, so did Ramakrishnan.
Ram says we do not have money. So Ravan says, give them 20 per cent discount. Ram still says we don’t have any money. At this, Ravan says, ‘You are not tourists here. You have come in search of food. Since you have eaten the fruits, the seeds are there na, plant it turn it into a tree and go,'” says Prakash Raj.
“What is your name – I am Ram from North.”
“I am Ravan from South, nice meeting you”
And they leave, concludes Prakash Raj.
The play is presented as a satire on the perceived imposition of Hindi.
However, Bhanu Prakash Reddy, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party leader, alleged that Prakash Raj’s statement has hurt Hindu sentiments. He has demanded a public apology and failure to which would invite a damages claim of Rs 100 crore.
The Indian actor has responded to Reddy’s notice
Responding to the viral video and Reddy’s legal notice, the Indian actor said that his statements at a literary event were selectively taken and misinterpreted and denied mocking any Hindu gods.
“My intention was not to hurt anyone’s sentiments, and I believe in mutual respect among different faiths and communities. Some groups brand me as anti-Hindu because I question the use of religion in politics,” he said.
He clarified he stands by his words as it was in the right context.
This post was last modified on April 19, 2026 5:58 pm