Om Raut Kisses Kriti Sanon: Dipika Chikhlia Slams Adipurush Star For Director's Kiss in Tirupati

Kriti Sanon and Om Raut came under fire after the Adipurush director was seen kissing the actress in the primise of Tirupati temple. Videos and photos of him kissing went viral and many criticised the duo for the act. Now, Ramayan actress Dipika Chikhlia has weighed in on the controversy, slammed Kriti and suggested is not serious about playing the role of Sita.

Dipika, who played the same role in the televised version of Ramayan, told Aaj Tak that today’s actors do not ‘enter the character nor understand its emotions’ and felt that Ramayana — in this case Adipurush — is merely a film. She added that Kriti might have not connected with the character on a ‘spiritual level.’

“Kriti is an actress of today’s generation. In today’s era, kissing or hugging someone is considered a sweet gesture. She would have never thought of herself as Sita Ji. It becomes a matter of emotions. I have lived the character of Sita, while today’s actresses just consider it a role. After the film or project is over, they don’t care anymore,” she told the television channel.

“Now let’s talk about us. No one dared to take our names on the set. When we were in our characters, many people would come and touch our feet right on the set. It was a different era. At that time, they didn’t see us as actors; they saw us as gods. We couldn’t even hug anyone, let alone a kiss,” Dipika added.

The actress added that after Adipurush releases, Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and other stars will move on with their projects and might even forget the character unlike the stars of the televised versions of Ramayan.

Kriti and Om are yet to react to the controversy.

Directed by Om Raut, Adipurush is a cinematic adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana. While Prabhas will be playing the role of Raghav in the film, Kriti Sanon will play Janaki. The film also stars Saif Ali Khan as the antagonist, portraying Ravana. Adipurush is being considered as the biggest film in Prabhas’ career. It is a mythological drama that has been made on a reported budget of Rs 500 crore. The film is jointly bankrolled by Bhushan Kumar’s T-series and Retrophiles. The film will be released on June 16, 2023.