New Delhi, Jan 12: ‘Rang de Basanti’ actor Siddharth has issued a public apology for his ‘rude joke’ on badminton champion Saina Nehwal.
In an apology letter posted on Twitter on Tuesday, the actor called himself a staunch feminist and said he had no intent to attack a woman’s modesty.
He said: “I want to apologise to you for my rude joke that I wrote as a response to a tweet of yours, a few days ago. I may disagree with you on many things but even my disappointment or anger when it read your tweet, cannot justify my tone and words, I know I have more grace in me than that.
“As for the joke…a joke needs to be explained, then it wasn’t a very good joke to begin with, Sorry about a joke that didn’t land.
“I, however must insist my word play and humour had none of the malicious intent that so many people from all quarters have attributed to it.
“I am a staunch feminist ally and i assure you there was no gender implied in my tweet and certainly no intent to attack you woman.”
Earlier, Nehwal tweeted: “No nation can claim itself to be safe if the security of its own PM gets compromised. I condemn, in the strongest words possible, the cowardly attack on PM Modi by anarchists.”
Retweeting the shuttler’s post, the actor said: ‘Subtle cock champion of the world…Thank God we have protectors of India.”
After facing a backlash on social media, Siddhartha tweeted; ‘COCK & BULL’ That’s the reference. Reading otherwise is unfair and leading!
“Nothing disrespectful was intended, said or insinuated. Period,’ he added.
Reacting on Siddharth’s tweet, Nehwal’s husband and Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap said: “This is upsetting for us … express ur opinion but choose better words man . I guess u thought it was cool to say it this way”
