Siddharth Writes Apology Letter to Saina Nehwal for 'Rude Joke'; She Says 'I'm Not Bothered'

Actor Siddharth on Tuesday apologised to Saina Nehwal after receiving huge backlash for his “rude joke” on the badminton star on Twitter. A tweet by Siddharth commenting on Saina’s remark over the lapse in the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Punjab visit had netizens fuming.

In his letter of apology posted on Twitter, Siddharth wrote, “Dear Saina, 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 I read your tweet, cannot justify my tone and words. I know I have more grace in me than that.”

Further apologising for the joke, Siddharth said, “As for the joke, if 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 wordplay 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 as a woman. I hope we can put this behind us and that you will accept my letter. You will always be my champion.”

In her response to the letter, Saina told news agency ANI, “He said something about me first and then apologised. I don’t even know why it went so viral. I was surprised to see myself trending on Twitter. Happy that Siddharth has apologised. You should not target a woman like that. It is okay. I am not bothered about it. I am happy in my place. God bless him.”

The National Commission for Women on Tuesday asked Twitter to block the account of Siddharth for his “lewd and inappropriate” tweet against Saina Nehwal. The NCW also wrote to the Maharashtra police seeking registration of an FIR against him.

The NCW claimed the comment was ‘misogynist, outrages the modesty of a woman and amounts to disrespect and insults the dignity of women.’

“The Commission condemns such lewd and inappropriate remark made by the actor and has taken suo motu cognisance in the matter. Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the Maharashtra DGP to immediately investigate the matter and register an FIR under relevant provisions of the law. The panel has sought prompt and strict action against him for using indecent language against women on social media,” the panel said in a statement.

Last week, Saina Nehwal had shared her thoughts on the security breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She wrote, “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.” (sic)

To this, Siddharth had quoted Saina’s tweet and wrote, “Subtle cock champion of the world… Thank God we have protectors of India. Shame on you #Rihanna.” (sic)

Saina Nehwal’s husband Parupalli Kashyap, a badminton player, had also expressed his displeasure over Siddharth’s tweet. Parupalli Kashyap, while tagging Siddharth in a tweet on Monday, wrote: “This is upsetting for us. Express your opinion but choose better words man! I guess you thought it was cool to say it this way. #notcool #disgraceful.”

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