The complainant stated that Ranveer Singh, while present on stage and in the presence of the lead actor of Kantara: Chapter-1, allegedly performed acts that mocked and insulted the sacred Bhoota Kola tradition practiced in coastal Karnataka.
Key Points
- At last year's IFFI, Ranveer Singh had praised Rishab Shetty's performance in Kantara: Chapter 1, but his mimicry of Shetty's performance didn't go down well.
- An FIR has been filed, where the complainant said he is a devotee of Chavundi Daiva, a revered guardian spirit worshipped in Bhoota Kola rituals.
- Chavundi Daiva is not a female ghost, as Ranveer Singh had said, but a powerful and fierce guardian spirit symbolising justice, protection, and divine feminine energy, and holds deep religious and cultural significance in the coastal Karnataka region.
The High Grounds police station in Bengaluru registered a case against movie star Ranveer Singh following a complaint alleging 'insult to religious sentiments' during a public event.
The first information report was registered on Wednesday, January 28, based on a complaint lodged by Prashanth Methal, a Bengaluru lawyer, after an additional chief metropolitan magistrate court referred the private complaint for investigation.
Ranveer has been booked under Sections 196, 299 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
When Ranveer 'insulted' the Chavundi Daiva deity
According to the complaint, the incident pertains to the closing ceremony at the International Film Festival of India in Goa on November 28, 2025.
The complainant stated that Ranveer Singh, while present on stage and in the presence of the lead actor of Kantara: Chapter-1, Rishab Shetty, allegedly performed acts that mocked and insulted the sacred Bhoota Kola tradition practiced in coastal Karnataka.
The complainant said he is a devotee of Chavundi Daiva, a revered guardian spirit worshipped in Bhoota Kola rituals, and that the deity is also his family deity, which he has worshipped since childhood.
Methal alleged that the actor imitated the divine expressions of Panjurli/Guliga Daiva in a 'crude, comical and derogatory manner' and verbally referred to the sacred Chavundi Daiva as a 'female ghost'.
Despite an alleged request not to perform the Daiva act, Ranveer, Methal stated in his complaint, enacted an emotional Chavundi Daiva scene from Kantara: Chapter 1 on stage.
What Ranveer Singh said at IFFI about the Chavundi Daiva
While praising Rishab Shetty's performance in Kantara: Chapter 1, Ranveer Singh had said on the IFFI stage, 'I saw that in the theatres, Rishab, it was an outstanding performance, especially when the female ghost gets inside your body, that one shot...'
Ranveer went on to mimic the scene to prove his point.
Rishab Shetty, sitting in the audience, did not react adversely at the time.
But later, at a Behindwoods event in Chennai, Shetty shared his thoughts about Ranveer's mimicry without taking his name.
'While much of the film is cinema and performance, the daiva element is sensitive and sacred. Wherever I go, I request people not to perform it on stage or mock it. It is emotionally deeply connected to us,' Shetty had said.
Ranveer Singh's apology, post the backlash at IFFI
An immediate backlash followed Ranveer's IFFI mimicry, and the actor apologised on social media.
'My intention was to highlight Rishab's incredible performance in the film. Actor to actor, I know how much it would take to perform that particular scene in the way that he did, for which he has my utmost admiration,' he had posted.
'I have always deeply respected every culture, tradition and belief in our country. If I've hurt anyone's sentiments, I sincerely apologise,' he added.
Who the Chavundi Daiva is
'Chavundi Daiva is not a female ghost but a powerful and fierce guardian spirit symbolising justice, protection, and divine feminine energy, and holds deep religious and cultural significance in the coastal region,' Methal said in his complaint.
Referring to the deity as a ghost was described in the complaint as 'blasphemous and a serious insult to Hindu religious beliefs and practices'.
Methal alleged that the accused, being a widely followed public figure, performed the act on an international platform with knowledge that it would hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.
The complaint further stated that a video of the alleged performance went viral on social media, causing grave mental agony, anger and resentment among devotees.
Methal said he became aware of the incident after viewing the video on social media.
Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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