Hyderabad: South actress Kasthuri Shankar was arrested by Cyberabad police here on Saturday for her alleged offensive comments against Telugu-speaking people in Tamil Nadu.
The 50-year-old Kasthuri’s ‘offensive’ remarks, made at a meeting of the Hindu Makkal Katchi, drew BJP national co-incharge of Tamil Nadu Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy’s ire.
Demanding an apology from Kasthuri, Reddy told PTI that her comments will hamper the cordial atmosphere among people of Tamil Nadu and were against the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family).
The Madras High Court earlier dismissed Kasthuri’s anticipatory bail petition, saying that her statement “hovers around hate speech.” The high court observed that public personalities like Kasthuri, who is also a model and television presenter, must always think twice before addressing such issues in public platform.
Kasthuri announced last week she has withdrawn all references to Telugus from her November 3 speech, adding it was not her intention to “hurt or offend my Telugu extended family.”
“I am sorry for any inadvertent ill feeling. In the interest of all-round amity, I withdraw all references to Telugus in my speech delivered on November 3,” Kasthuri said in a post on X.
“I reiterate that my opinions were contextually specific to certain individuals and not directed at the broader Telugu community. This controversy has unfortunately diverted attention from the more important points I raised in that speech,” wrote Kasthuri, who has worked in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam films.
Kasthuri said she had received numerous threats in the days following her speech.
“A respected Telugu friend of mine patiently explained the impact of my words on the entire Telugu population of Tamil Nadu and beyond,” Kasthuri said in her post.
Saying that she feels fortunate to have a special connection to the Telugu community, Kasthuri further stated: “I grew up admiring the glorious days of the Nayak kings, Kattabomman Nayaka, and singing Tyagaraja kritis. I cherish my film career in Telugu cinema. Telugu people have given me a name, fame, love, and a family.”
