‘Brahmin': Marathi actor stirs fresh controversy with remarks on Ambedkar days after Shivaji comment row

Last week, he had made claims about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's great escape in 1666 from the Agra Fort.

Days after sparking a massive row with his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Marathi actor Rahul Solapurkar stirred a fresh controversy by describing Dr BR Ambedkar as "Brahmin" in the Vedic context of gaining knowledge.

While apologising, Rahul Solapurkar said that he will not make incorrect statements about national icons in future. ((X/@rahul_girish))

In a video that surfaced on social media on Sunday, the actor claimed that Babasaheb was born to Ramji Sakpal in a Bahujan family and later adopted by his teacher who gave him his surname. "In the Vedas, it is said that a man who gains knowledge becomes a Brahmin. In that sense, Ambedkar was Brahmin because he gained knowledge."

NCP(SP) leader Jitendra Awhad slammed Solapurkar for his remarks and said in a video, "Rahul Solapurkar has now crossed all limits. He should be beaten with shoes wherever he is seen. It is people like him, driven by casteist ideologies, who have ruined Maharashtra and the country."

Amid the criticism he was facing, the actor, who has appeared in several Marathi films, apologised for his remarks.

Solapurkar said that he has given several lectures on Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Babasaheb Ambedkar. "I am completely unaware of why such videos are being circulated on social media. Once again, I apologise to everybody for the remarks I made. In future, I will not make any incorrect statements about national icons,” he added.

Just last week, speaking on a podcast, Solapurkar made a claim on Shivaji Maharaj's great escape from Agra Fort in 1666. He alleged that the Maratha king escaped by bribing the chieftains of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and not by hiding himself in 'sweet box'.

Several Maratha outfits and activists protested against the actor's remarks, prompting his resignation as trustee of the Pune-based Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI). He said that he regretted using the word "bribe" and hurting the sentiments of the admirers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

(with PTI inputs)