A criminal complaint against film actor Prakash Raj has reached a Tirupati court, intensifying a row over remarks attributed to him on Hindu deities and the Ramayana during a public discussion at the Kerala Literature Festival.
G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, a BJP leader and member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board, filed the complaint before the IV-Additional Judicial Magistrate of First Class on Monday. The petition alleges that Raj made “inflammatory” and derogatory statements concerning Lord Rama, Lakshmana and the epic, hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and disturbing social harmony.
The complaint invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Section 299, which deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting a religion or religious beliefs, and Section 196, which concerns promoting enmity between groups on grounds including religion, place of birth, residence and language. Reddy has asked the court to take cognisance of the alleged offences, examine the complaint and summon the actor.
The remarks under dispute stem from Raj’s appearance at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode in January, where he spoke about a reinterpretation of the Ramayana linked to a children’s theatre exercise. The complaint alleges that the actor portrayed Rama and Lakshmana as figures travelling from the North to the South and entering Ravana’s land, a narration the complainant says was framed in a way that insulted sacred characters and encouraged an Aryan-Dravidian political reading of the epic.
Reddy stated in the complaint that he came across a video of the remarks on April 17 after it circulated on social media. He alleged that the comments were not isolated artistic observations but formed part of a pattern of public statements that, in his view, sought to undermine religious belief and cultural unity. He had earlier issued a legal notice demanding a public apology and warning that failure to apologise could lead to a damages claim of ₹100 crore.
The actor has not issued an immediate public response to the court complaint. Raj’s supporters have argued in earlier debates around the controversy that the comments were part of a satirical and theatrical discussion on cultural politics, not a direct attack on religious belief. Critics, however, have maintained that public figures must exercise greater caution when invoking revered texts and deities in political or artistic commentary.
The complaint comes amid a wider expansion of legal disputes over speech, religion and artistic expression under the new criminal code. Section 299 of the BNS broadly mirrors the earlier Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, which courts have interpreted as applying only where deliberate and malicious intent is established. Judicial rulings over the years have repeatedly held that careless, satirical or unpopular expression does not automatically amount to a criminal offence unless it shows a calculated intention to outrage religious feelings or disturb public order.
That legal threshold is likely to be central if the Tirupati court proceeds further. At the complaint stage, the court may examine whether the material placed before it discloses a prima facie offence and whether the actor’s remarks, viewed in full context, satisfy the ingredients of deliberate insult and intent. The defence, if proceedings advance, is expected to focus on artistic context, satire, freedom of expression and the distinction between critique, reinterpretation and religious abuse.
Raj, a National Film Award-winning performer with a career across Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, has also been active in public debate and politics. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru Central as an independent candidate and has frequently spoken against majoritarian politics, religious polarisation and attempts to impose a single cultural narrative.
