Asif Ali reacts to Ramesh Narayan refusing to accept award from him on stage: 'It took me some time to understand...'

Malayalam actor Asif Ali on Wednesday said he was not hurt by the alleged snub from classical vocalist, composer and music producer Ramesh Narayan during an event in Kochi recently, and urged everyone to stop the hate campaign against the musician over the incident.

Narayan has been criticised by netizens since Tuesday after a video went viral in which Narayan seems uninterested when Ali presents him with a memento during the trailer release of an anthology based on nine stories written by the eminent writer M T Vasudevan Nair, on July 15.

The video shows Ali coming on to the stage to present the memento, but Narayan appears to accept it without acknowledging him. Then, Narayan calls film director Jayaraj to the stage and hands him the memento, which Jayaraj returns to the composer after photos are clicked.

Speaking to reporters here, Ali thanked those who came out in his support, but urged everyone to stop the hate campaign against the veteran musician. “We all do live events. Some mistakes happen during that. That is all that happened there. I was not hurt by what happened. I did not feel insulted or disrespected by his (Narayan) actions. I do not believe that someone of his stature would do something like that deliberately,” Ali said.

He said he had not been well for the past couple of days and came to know about the issue only on Tuesday afternoon. “People, including mediapersons, were calling me to seek my response. I did not know how to respond to it. It took me some time to understand what happened. So my phone was switched off. When I switched it on, I saw his (Narayan) message asking me to call him. I called him today morning and while speaking to him I realised how sad he was over what happened. His voice broke several times,” the actor said.

Ali said he did not want someone so senior in the industry and who was also older than him to be sad because of him. “Please end the hate campaign against him. I hope and wish the issue ends here,” he said.

Later, Narayan told a TV channel that he was grateful to Ali for understanding him. “He (Ali) understood what I was going through. That shows his greatness. I spoke to him. I said I will visit him in Kochi and that we will talk over coffee,” the musician said. He further said that not just himself, but his children too faced attacks on social media following the incident and requested that the same be stopped as a favour to him. "I have never been disrespectful to anyone. I am happy Asif understood me. I have nothing more to say on the issue," he added.

Malayalam actor Dhyan Sreenivasan, on the other hand, said he did not think Narayan's apology to Ali was heartfelt. He also said that Ali must have been embarrassed a lot to be ignored by the musician in that manner at the event, but he brushed it aside with a smile. Veteran Malayalam actor, producer and general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), Siddique, too came out in support of Ali.

In a Facebook post, Siddique said that Ali's smile even after what he faced was the true music. Earlier in the day, the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) said that what happened was "avoidable". "If he (Narayan) wanted Jayaraj to give him the memento, he should have said so to the organisers or even Asif Ali. What he did would cause problems for Asif Ali in his public and professional life. It was an avoidable incident," FEFKA General Secretary Unnikrishnan B told a TV channel. He said that Ali has not taken it seriously and that FEFKA has extended its support to him and also regretted what happened. Unnikrishnan said it was appreciable that Narayan immediately expressed regret and also apologised for his alleged actions.

Narayan had denied that he intentionally tried to humiliate Ali. "If it seemed that way, I apologise," he had told reporters on Tuesday. "I didn't even know Asif Ali was presenting the memento. Many film stars were standing there when Ali suddenly appeared and gave me the memento. I wanted Jayaraj to be there, so I called him on stage. Meanwhile, Ali disappeared. If Asif Ali had been there too, the three of us could have shared a loving moment," he had said. Narayan had also called Ali a dear friend and said he was a big fan of his acting. "I was about to call him. If I made a mistake, I apologise," Narayan had said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI

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