'Humble devotee of Lord Venkateswara’: Ponniyin Selvan star Karthi serves up apology after Pawan Kalyan fumes over Tirupati laddoo remark

Tamil actor Karthi has issued a public apology to Telugu actor and politician Pawan Kalyan following backlash over his remarks regarding the Tirupati laddoo row. The controversy erupted after Karthi made a light-hearted comment at an event in Hyderabad, which did not sit well with Pawan Kalyan, especially considering the cultural sensitivity surrounding the issue.

What Happened?

On September 23, during an event in Hyderabad, Karthi, who has acted in the mega blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan, was shown a meme related to the Tirupati laddoo, a sacred offering in the temple of Lord Venkateswara. Reacting to the meme, Karthi humorously said, "Ippudu laddu gurinchi maatladakodadu (we should not talk about laddu now), it's a sensitive topic manakoddadi (we don’t want)."

However, this comment quickly sparked controversy, as the sacred laddoo is an integral part of the Tirupati temple's traditions. On September 24, Pawan Kalyan, who is currently undergoing an 11-day long prayaschitta diksha (a purification ritual), addressed the media in Vijayawada and expressed his disappointment with Karthi’s statement. He warned that anyone from the film industry should either support the temple's traditions or refrain from making comments altogether.

Issuing a strong rebuke, Pawan Kalyan said, “Don’t you ever dare to say that.”

Karthi’s Public Apology

As the issue began to gain traction on social media, Karthi quickly responded with an apology on Twitter. He wrote, “Dear @PawanKalyan sir, with deep respects to you, I apologize for any unintended misunderstanding caused. As a humble devotee of Lord Venkateswara, I always hold our traditions dear. Best regards.”

The apology was aimed at clarifying that his comment was not meant to disrespect the sacred traditions associated with the Tirupati temple.

The Tirupati Laddoo Controversy

This incident follows a larger ongoing controversy regarding the preparation of the Tirupati laddoos. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had previously accused the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led administration of allowing the use of substandard ingredients, including fish oil and beef tallow, in the ghee used for making the laddu prasadams. Lab tests confirmed the presence of these ingredients, resulting in the termination of contracts with the suppliers.