Tamil actor Siddharth has issued an open letter of apology to badminton champion Saina Nehwal regarding a 'sexist' tweet posted on Monday that had drawn the ire of social media users over 'offensive' wording that he used. Saina Nehwal too had condemned the tweet which was deleted soon after.
"Dear Saina, I want to apologise to you for my rude joke that I wrote as a response to a tweet of yours, a few days ago. I may disagree with you on many things but even my disappointment or anger when I read your tweet, cannot justify my tone and words," Siddharth's letter reads.
"I know I have more grace in me than that. As for the joke... If a joke needs to be explained, then it wasn't a very good joke to begin with. Sorry about a joke that didn't land," he said. However the actor went on to emphasise that he had not meant anything sexist or offensive in his tweet and that the meaning of it had been twisted.
"I, however must insist my word play and humour had none of the malicious intent that so many people from all quarters have attributed to it. I am a staunch feminist ally and I assure you there was no gender implied in my tweet and certainly no intent to attack you as a woman," the letter reads. It concludes with the hope that Saina can forgive and forget the issue.
The offensive tweet in question was posted as a reply to Sania's own tweet on Monday which had expressed concern over theissue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security breach, wherein the PM's convoy was leftsranded on a flyover in Punjab for 20 minutes while protestors blocked the road.
"Subtle cock champion of the world… Thank God we have protectors of India. Shame on you #Rihanna," was Siddharth's deleted reply to the tweet. His words drew condemnation even from the National Women's Commission which appealed to Twitter to have his account blocked.
On Monday, Siddharth had said that he did not mean to disrespect anyone and that his 'subtle cock' tweet contained no kind of insinuation. "Cock and bull. That's the reference. Reading otherwise is unfair and leading. Nothing disrespectful was intended, said or insinuated. Period," he had tweeted.