Actor Siddharth clarified that he had no “malicious” intentions and that he is a “feminist ally”. (FILE)
Bombay:
Actor Siddharth apologized to Saina Nehwal on Tuesday night after being heavily criticized for his “rude joke” on the badminton player on Twitter.
The actor had retweeted a message from Ms Nehwal on January 6 expressing concern about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breach during his visit to Punjab on January 5.
In his apology letter on Twitter, Mr. Siddarth said: “Dear Saina, I would like to apologize for my gross joke I wrote a few days ago in response to a tweet from you. I may not agree with you on many things, but even my disappointment or anger when I read your tweet cannot justify my tone and words. I know I have more grace in me than that.”
He also apologized for his joke.
Best @NSainapic.twitter.com/plkqxVKVxY
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) January 11, 2022
“As for the joke… If a joke has to be explained, then it wasn’t such a good joke to begin with. Sorry for a joke that didn’t get through,” he wrote.
Siddharth clarified that he had no “malicious” intentions and that he is a “feminist ally”.
“However, I must insist that my pun and humor had none of the evil intentions that so many people on all sides have attributed to it. I am a staunch feminist ally and I assure you that no gender was implied in my tweet and certainly no with the intention of attacking you as a woman,” he added.
He concluded with the hope that she would accept his letter.
“I hope we can put this behind us and that you will accept my letter. You will always be my champion. Honestly, Siddharth,” he signed.
Earlier on Tuesday, Saina Nehwal’s father, Harvir Singh Nehwal, said the ace Indian shuttler is unhappy after actor Siddharth’s comments to her.
“A person from the film industry (actor Siddharth) made some bad comments on Twitter against Saina (Nehwal). I condemned his statement. He should come out openly and apologize. Our family is really troubled. Saina is also unhappy .” Harvir Singh Nehwal told ANI.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) had also asked Twitter to block actor Siddharth’s account for his “sexist” tweet against top badminton player Saina Nehwal.
Several activists have criticized Siddharth for his comments, calling it “sexist, misogynistic” and demanding that he apologize to Nehwal.
Following the controversy, Siddharth also replied on Monday that his intent was not to disparage anyone and that his “subtle cock” tweet contained no innuendo.
“Rooster and bull. That’s the reference. Reading otherwise is unfair and guiding. Nothing disrespectful was intended, said or insinuated. Period,” he tweeted.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
