Ranveer Singh faces FIR in Karnataka

The Karnataka Police have lodged an FIR against Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh for allegedly insulting the gods and sacrosanct Daiva traditions at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), officials said on Thursday.

The High Grounds police in Bengaluru have filed the FIR following the complaint in this regard by law practitioner Prashanth Methal.

Ranveer Singh has been booked under Sections 196 (threat to public order and social cohesion), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or beliefs) and 302 (deliberate, intentional wounding of religious feelings. It applies to anyone who speaks words, makes sounds, gestures, or places objects with the intent to offend) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Act.

The complainant charged that the act of the accused actor Ranveer Singh was deliberate, intentional and malicious, intended to outrage religious feelings, not only his, but also millions of Hindu devotees promting enimity, hatred and disharmony between different groups based on religion in society, and insult his religious beliefs towards 'Chavundi Daiva', thereby promoting disrespect towards a sacred tradition and disturbing communal harmony.

It is also alleged that the accused actor enacted the emotional 'Chavundi Daiva' scene from Kantara: Chapter 1 despite an alleged request not to perform the 'Daiva' act. The complainant submitted that Chavundi Daiva is not a female ghost but a powerful and fierce guardian spirit symbolising justice, protection, and divine feminine energy, and holds deep religious and cultural significance in the coastal region.

Referring to the deity as a ghost is described as blasphemous and a serious insult to Hindu religious beliefs and practices, the complainant stated.

The FIR states that, "The complainant is a devotee of Chavundi Daiva, a revered guardian spirit worshipped in the traditional Bhoota Kola rituals of Coastal Karnataka, and that the said deity is also his family deity and he worships the said goddess with divine pleasure since Childhood."

The complainant stated that on November 28, 2025, during the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held in Goa, the accused Ranveer Singh, a Bollywood actor and public figure, while present on stage and in the presence of the hero of the movie 'Kantara: Chapter 1', allegedly performed acts that insulted and mocked the sacred 'Daiva' tradition.

The complainant further alleged that the actor imitated the divine expressions of 'Panjurli/Guliga Daiva' in a crude, comical, and derogatory manner and further verbally referred to the sacred Chavundi Daiva as a “female ghost”.

The complainant alleged that the accused, being a widely followed public figure, performed the said act on an international platform with knowledge that it would hurt the religious sentiments of devotees. The video of the performance allegedly went viral on social media, causing grave mental agony, anger, and resentment to the complainant and other devotees.

The complainant further stated that he came to know of the incident later when he viewed the video on Instagram, posted by an account named “Brief Chaat”. Further investigation is ongoing.