Saif Ali Khan retracts statement about humanizing Ravan in Adipurush

Actor Saif Ali Khan has apologized for stating that his film Adipurush would humanize Ravan, the antagonist of the Ramayana, and make the abduction of Sita, the wife of Lord Ram, justifiable.

The actor will be playing the role of the demon king in Om Raut's epic mythological film based on the Hindu epic in which Prabhas will be seen as Lord Ram.

Khan made the controversial statements in a recent interview with the Mumbai Mirror newspaper. Apparently, this did not go well with some religious groups, and the actor was criticized on social media.

Sharing a clarification regarding his statement, Khan said, "I’ve been made aware that one of my statements during an interview, has caused a controversy and hurt people’s sentiments. This was never my intention or meant that way".

"I would like to sincerely apologize to everybody and withdraw my statement. Lord Ram has always been the symbol of righteousness and heroism for me. Adipurush is about celebrating the victory of good over evil and the entire team is working together to present the epic without any distortions (sic)," he said.

This is Khan's second outing with Raut. He appeared as the antagonist Uday Bhan in the director's previous film Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior (2020). Adipurush, which is expected to be a VFX extravaganza, will reportedly be shot from January 2021.