Ranveer Singh faces legal action in Bengaluru over alleged Chavundi Daiva mimicry

A complaint alleging insult to religious sentiments against Ranveer Singh over an incident at IFFI 2025 has been referred by a Bengaluru court for further action. The case relates to alleged remarks and gestures linked to the Chavundi Daiva tradition during the festival's closing ceremony.

Ranveer Singh has landed at the centre of a legal controversy after a complaint alleging insult to religious sentiments during the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 was referred by a court for further action. The complaint relates to an alleged incident at the IFFI closing event held in Goa on November 28, 2025, where the actor is accused of mocking a revered deity from Coastal Karnataka’s Bhoota Kola tradition.

According to the complaint, the incident took place on stage in the presence of the lead actor of Kantara: Chapter 1. The complainant, a devotee of Chavundi Daiva - a guardian spirit worshipped in Bhoota Kola rituals and also his family deity - has alleged that Ranveer Singh imitated the divine expressions of Panjurli/Guliga Daiva in a crude and comical manner. It is further alleged that the actor verbally referred to Chavundi Daiva as a “female ghost,” which the complainant claims is deeply offensive.

The complaint also states that despite an alleged request not to perform any Daiva-related act, the actor went on to enact an emotional Chavundi Daiva scene inspired by Kantara: Chapter 1. The complainant has emphasised that Chavundi Daiva is not a ghost, but a powerful guardian spirit symbolising justice, protection and divine feminine energy, holding immense religious and cultural significance in Coastal Karnataka. Referring to the deity as a ghost has been termed blasphemous and a serious insult to Hindu religious beliefs.

It has been alleged that the act was deliberate, intentional and malicious, with the intention of outraging religious feelings, insulting faith in Chavundi Daiva, and promoting enmity and disharmony among different religious groups, thereby disturbing communal harmony.

The private complaint was filed on December 27 last year by Bengaluru-based advocate Prashanth Methal before the Additional Judicial Magistrate Court in Bengaluru. Following this, on January 23 this year, the court directed the High Grounds police to register an FIR under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The case has since been registered under Sections 196, 299 and 302 of the BNS.

The matter has now been referred to the 1st Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in Bengaluru and is scheduled to come up for hearing on April 8.