After Sai Pallavi’s comments on the Kashmir Pandit genocide in the 1990s and recent mob lynching incidents sparked a big debate online, the actor posted a video on Instagram to make it clear that she doesn’t didn’t mean to downplay a tragedy, and only meant that violence of any kind is wrong. “This is the first time I’m going to think twice before saying my heart because I feel my words could be misinterpreted, so please forgive me if I’m taking longer than usual to communicate my thoughts” , says Sai Pallavi at the start of the four-minute video.

“In a recent interview, I was asked if I was left-wing or right-wing. I have made it clear that I believe I am neutral. We must first be good human beings before we identify with our beliefs and that the oppressed must be protected at all costs,” says Sai Pallavi, speaking of the interview she gave a few days ago to a YouTube Telugu channel before the release of his film Virata Parvam. Sai Pallavi plays a woman who falls in love with a Naxal leader and writer in her upcoming film.

She says in the video that she cited two references that had a huge impact on her and left her traumatized for days. The actress says in the video that she saw filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri The Kashmir Files three months ago and she spoke to him and said she was troubled by the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits which was shown in the film.

“I remember telling him (Agnihotri) that I was troubled to see the plight of people at that time. And being someone that I am, I would never minimize a tragedy like genocide and generations of people who are still affected by it,” she says. “Having said that, I can never come to terms with the mob lynching incident in the time of COVID. I remember seeing this video and being shaken for days. I believe violence in any form is wrong and violence in the name of any religion is a huge sin,” the actor said.

Sai Pallavi’s clarification comes a day after a police complaint was filed against her in Hyderabad over her remarks. During the interview, Sai Pallavi talked about The Kashmir Files and declared that their genocide and recent incidents of lynching alleged cow traffickers were both wrong, and that violence of any kind should be condemned. She had said: “The film, The Kashmir Files, shows how Kashmiri Pandits were killed. Recently there was an incident where a person was killed for carrying a cow because he was suspected of being a Muslim. After killing the person, the assailants waved “Jai Shri Ram” slogans. Where is the difference between what happened in Kashmir and what happened recently?”

In his tune-up, the actor, known for films like Premam, Maari 2 and Shyam Singha Roy, said it was extremely disturbing to see many people justifying the mob lynching incident online. “It was very disturbing to see so many people online justifying the mob lynching incident and I don’t think any of us have the right to take another person’s life. Being a graduate in medicine, I believe that all lives are equal and all lives matter,” she says in the video.

“I hope a day doesn’t come where a child is born and they’re scared of their identity. And I pray that we’re not heading towards that, at least. Fourteen years of my life, my school life , I remember every day I was going to school and chanting “All Indians are my brothers and sisters, I love my country”… It was so deep in my head… As children , we would never differentiate on the basis of culture, caste or religion. every time i speak it comes from a very neutral ground. i was very surprised that everything i had said was taken in a completely different way. It was also heartbreaking to see that many personalities and websites had published an excerpt from the previous interview. I had given even without seeing the full interview and l authenticity behind what was said,” she adds.

The actor also thanked those who supported her. “I remember feeling so alone and conflicted wondering what I had done wrong. It was heartwarming to see so many people raise their voices in support of me and I felt like they knew me for who I am. So thank you so much for making me feel like I wasn’t alone,” she concluded.

Watch his full video here: