Ranbir's 'Jai Mata Di' chant during Christmas celebration sparks complaint

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor and his family's Christmas celebration, with him igniting the cake doused with alcohol, ignited a religious discourse due to his chanting of 'Jai Mata Di,' which made a case for a complaint filed with Mumbai police for the alleged hurting of religious sentiments.

In a video, Ranbir Kapoor and his wife, actor Alia Bhatt, participate in the Christmas flambé tradition, where spirits are poured on a pudding and set ablaze briefly. However, the festive moment has led to accusations of "hurting religious sentiments" by Sanjay Tiwari, who filed a complaint at Ghatkopar police station.

Tiwari, through his lawyers Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra, alleges that Ranbir Kapoor "is seen pouring liquor on the cake and setting it on fire while saying Jai Mata Di." The complaint further claims that Kapoor and his family deliberately used intoxicants while celebrating a festival from another religion, violating Hindu religious practices.

According to Tiwari, in Hinduism, the fire god is traditionally invoked before other deities, and the use of intoxicants during a celebration of another religion is deemed disrespectful. The complaint has not yet resulted in filing a First Information Report (FIR).

The controversial video is from the annual Christmas brunch hosted by Kunal Kapoor, attended by Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and their daughter Raha. The couple also partook in an intimate Christmas gathering at Alia's mother, Soni Razdan's place.

Alia Bhatt, in response to the controversy, expressed her gratitude in a social media post, sharing photos from the celebration and captioning it, "Grateful for this bunch... grateful for so so much... Merry Merry Christmas & happy happy always," accompanied by a Christmas tree and a black heart emoji.