Riteish Deshmukh recently addressed the controversy surrounding his now viral dance video, that sparked backlash.
For the unversed, the 47-year-old actor, who recently starred in Raja Shivaji, marked the movie’s success by hosting a celebratory party.
In the viral video, Deshmukh could be seen donning a T-shirt featuring Maharaj’s image and dancing to a Bollywood song,which was enough to spark a massive backlash.
Now, while addressing the issue, the Mastiii 4 star took to Instagram on Thursday, June 4, and issued a detailed apology.
He began, “To celebrate the unprecedented response given by the audience to the recently released movie Raja Shivaji, our entire team had organized a small celebration. A video of mine related to that is currently circulating on social media.”
The actor then added, “As a devotee of Shivaji Maharaj (Shivpremi) and a family man who values his audience, I consider it my duty to clarify this.”
Deshmukh then clarified that while celebrating while wearing a T-shirt featuring the image of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I did not have the slightest intention of disrespecting him.
According to the Housefull 5 actor, he was wearing that T-shirt during the promotional campaign of the movie.
He also cleared the air on alcohol consumption, sharing, “Additionally, regarding some claims being made about me on social media, I want to clarify that I have never consumed alcohol in my life, nor will I ever do so in the future.”
As per the Raid 2 actor, the person who filmed this video was not even invited to the said event.
In the end, Deshmukh once again reiterated that if anyone's sentiments were hurt by his actions, he sincerely expresses his regret as a Shivpremi.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a symbol of faith, inspiration, and pride for all of us,” the actor concluded, saying, “I have immense respect, love, and loyalty for him in my heart. This sentiment is just as strong today and will remain so forever. Jai Shivray Yours, Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh.”
It’s worth mentioning here that Riteish Deshmukh starrer Raja Shivaji, released on May 1, has become the first Marathi movie to cross Rs 120 crore.
