The highly anticipated 500 Crore film “Adipurush” recently held a pre-release event at the Tirumala Tirupathi Temple in Andhra Pradesh. The event saw the presence of Prabhas, Om Raut, and Kriti Sanon. However, things took a controversial turn when filmmaker Om Raut hugged and kissed Kriti Sanon while bidding her farewell, sparking a frenzy on social media.
Many leaders and netizens expressed their disapproval of such behavior within the temple premises, deeming it unacceptable. The priest of Chiklur Balaji Temple also criticized the incident, stating that even married couples do not engage in such actions in a temple.
Pecks & flying kiss are not allowed & it’s basic sense they shouldn’t do this in temple premises. #Bollywood actor #KritiSanon greeted Director #OmRaut with a peck & in return #OmRaut with a flying kiss while leaving after #LordVenkateshwara darshan in #Tirupati. pic.twitter.com/qiGEs6gwyD
— Sowmith Yakkati (@sowmith7) June 7, 2023
The gesture drew public criticism, with actress Dipika Chikhlia, who portrayed the role of Maa Sita, voicing her opinion on the matter.
Dipika Chikhlia slams Kriti Sanon over kiss rowÂ
In an interview with Aaj Tak, Dipika commented that many actors today struggle to immerse themselves in a character. She believed that for them, Ramayan is just another movie, lacking the depth of emotional connection.
“The biggest problem of actors these days is that they only play roles and do not understand the feelings of the respective character. For them, Ramayana is just a film, but such roles have to be played with a lot of heart,” said Dipika
Kriti Sanon never thought of herself as Sita: Dipika Chikhila
While sharing her own experience of playing Sita, Dipika stated that she truly felt the character in her soul. She blamed Kriti Sanon’s behavior on being a part of the modern generation, where hugging and kissing friends is considered normal.
Also Read: Kriti Sanon Dazzles In Saree Made of 24-Carat Gold Print & Emeralds At Adipurush Trailer Launch
During the interview, she said, “Kriti is an actress of today’s generation. Kissing and cuddling someone would not be considered wrong in recent times, but people are now looking at her for her role as Sita…She must have never thought of herself as Sita Ji.”
Dipika Chikhlia recalled the times when people would show utmost respect and even touch her feet when she was in her Maa Sita get-up. She also highlighted the difference in the perception and treatment she received as the human manifestation of the revered figure.
She further added, “During our time when we played the roles of Ram and Sita, no one dared to call us by our names on the set. In fact, many people used to come and touch our feet on the sets. It was a different world. It was a matter of emotions. At that time they didn’t see us as actors, they saw us as gods. Kissing was a far cry at that time but I couldn’t even hug anyone.”
“After the release of Adipurush, these actors will be busy with their next projects, they will forget about the character that they played. But this never happened to us. Audiences and fans always saw us in the same roles and respected us the same way. We have never done anything to hurt people’s sentiments,” added Dipika Chikhlia.
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