Bollywood actor Vikrant Massey, who is currently basking in the success of his film 12th Fail, recently came under the public scanner after his old tweet from 2018 resurfaced on the internet, in which he had shared a cartoon of a conversation between Lord Ram and Sita. As the tweet created a chatter on social media, the actor deleted the post and issued an unconditional apology for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus.
In his 2018 tweet, Vikrant had written, "Half baked potatoes and half baked nationalists will only cause a pain in the gut. #KathuaCasr #Unnao #Shame." And what caused the stir was the cartoon attached with his note.
In the cartoon, a sketch version of Goddess Sita could be seen reading a newspaper and telling Lord Ram, "I', so glad I was kidnapped by Ravan and not by your bhakts!"
Vikrant Massey issues apology
Netizens dug out the old tweet and it went viral on the internet recently all over again, and the actor was slammed for the controversial cartoon and was accused of hurting religious sentiments. It was brought to Vikrant's notice by a Mumbai-based advocate, and the actor, on Wednesday midnight, issued an apology, assuring people that he did not want to malign any religion. He also deleted the old tweet.
"In context to one of my Tweets way back in 2018, I’d like to say a few words: It was never my intention to hurt, malign or disrespect the Hindu community. But as I reflect in hindsight about a Tweet made in jest, I also realise the distasteful nature of it. The same could have been said without adding the cartoon which was published in a newspaper," he wrote.
"And I’d with utmost humility like to apologise to each and everyone who has been hurt. As you all by now know, that I hold all faiths, beliefs and religions with the highest possible regard. We all grow up with time and reflect upon our mistakes. This was mine," he added.
'Religion is man-made': Vikrant
Recently, in a podcast, Vikrant opened up on how he has been surrounded with people of different faiths and religions. He shared that his mother is a Sikhni and his father is a Church-going Christian, while his wife Sheetal Thakur is Hindu.
He also revealed that his brother converted to Islam at the age of 17, and added, "From a young age, I have seen a lot of arguments related to religion and spirituality. After seeing this, I went on my own quest, wondering what exactly is religion. It is man-made."
