Veteran Tamil actor Sivakumar received flak after a video showed him throwing away a shawl presented to him at a book launch event in Karaikudi. The incident took place at former MLA Pala Karuppiah’s book launch ceremony where the celebrated actor was attending as a chief guest. Towards the end of the event, a person tried honoring Sivakumar by draping a shawl over his shoulders. However, the actor forced the shawl out of the person’s hand and threw it away, which has since received criticism on social media.
Addressing the incident, Sivakumar appeared in a video to issue an apology, while revealing that the person's name is Karim, with whom he has been friends for more than 50 years. The actor's latest clarification comes after he previously was in the spotlight for a similar incident back in 2018 when he threw away the mobile phone of a fan who tried to click a selfie with him. Father to leading Tamil actors Suriya and Karthi, Sivakumar opened up on the recent incident by saying, "You must have seen the shawl incident at Karaikudi. Usually, when I'm presented with shawls at events, I return it back to the people as I don't have the habit of wearing the,. On that day, the event had started at 6 p.m. and gone on till around 10 p.m. with several people sharing their thoughts. I took to the stage towards the end to speak at around 10 p.m. I was extremely tired and was leaving when I saw Karim standing there. Despite knowing that I don't like putting on shawls, he came forward to present me one."
Karim then chimed in saying, "My wife had earler told me not to take a shawl along. I told her that he (Sivakumar) is a reputed man and is visiting our town to address everyone. However, I feel that it's my mistake to have done that." Sivakumar added, "If it's a mistake on his part to bring the shawl knowing I'm not fond of the practice of wearing it, am I too not at fault for throwing it on the ground? I feel sorry and I repent my actions." Watch Sivakumar's apology video below:
நான் இதனால தான் சால்வைய தூக்கிப்போட்டேன் - #Sivakumar Apologize Regarding The Recent Incident 💔 pic.twitter.com/M2M58HuSNe
— Galatta Media (@galattadotcom) February 27, 2024
