"Will think twice before i speak my heart": Actor Sai Pallavi amid row
Mumbai, Jun 18: Actor Sai Pallavi on Saturday said her recent remarks drawing a comparison between the Kashmiri Pandits' genocide in the 1990s and recent mob lynching incidents were taken out of context.
The 30-year-old actor is currently in the middle of a controversy for remarks that she made during an interview to a Telugu YouTube channel ahead of the release of her film "Virata Parvam".
Pallavi, who works in the Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam film industries, shared a video on Instagram to clarify her comments and said her intent was not to belittle any tragedy.
"In a recent interview I was asked if I was a supporter of the left or the right wing. I clearly stated that I believe I'm neutral. We need to be good human beings first before we identify ourselves with our beliefs. The oppressed need to be protected at any cost," she said in the video.
The actor said she saw filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's "The Kashmir Files" three months ago and was disturbed by the "plight" of Kashmiri Pandits shown in the movie.
"I remember telling him (Agnihotri) that I was disturbed seeing the plight of the people at that time. And being someone that I am, I would never belittle tragedy like the genocide and the generations of people who are still affected by it," Pallavi added.
At the same time, the actor said she "could never come to terms with the mob lynching incident during COVID times" and was "shaken" by it for days.
"I believe that violence in any form is wrong and violence in the name of any religion is a huge sin," Pallavi said.
In her comments during the interview, which has also reportedly landed the actor in legal trouble in Hyderabad, Pallavi had talked about "The Kashmir Files" and compared it with the recent incidents of lynching of suspected cow smugglers.
"The film, 'The Kashmir Files', shows how Kashmiri Pandits were killed. Recently, there was an incident of a person being killed for carrying a cow because he was suspected to be a Muslim. After killing the person, the attackers raised 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans. Where is the difference between what happened in Kashmir and what happened recently?" she had said.
In her clarification, the actor, known for films like "Premam", "Maari 2" and "Shyam Singha Roy", said it was extremely disturbing to see many people justify the mob lynching incident online.
"I don't think any of us have the right to take another person's life. Being a medical graduate, I believe that all lives are equal and all lives are important," the actor added.
"I will be thinking twice before I speak my heart because I am anxious that my words may be misinterpreted," she said.
Pallavi further said she hopes that in future no person in the country has to be "scared of his or her identity".
"I hope a day doesn't come when a child is born and he or she is scared of his or her identity. And I pray that we are not heading towards that, at least. Fourteen years of my life, my school life, I remember everyday going to school and chanting, 'All Indians are my brothers and sisters...
"We as children would never differentiate each other based on culture or caste or religion. So anytime I speak, it comes from a very neutral ground," she added.
Pallavi went on to express disappointment over the relentless online trolling she was subjected to following the interview.
"I was very surprised to see that whatever I had spoken was taken in a completely different way."
The actor also thanked those "who stood by me in the last few days".
"I felt like they knew me for who I am. So thank you so much for making me feel like I wasn't alone," she said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
