Actor Rahul Solapurkar now stirs row with remarks on Ambedkar; apologises

Pune: Actor Rahul Solapurkar has sparked a fresh row by describing Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar as a "Brahmin" in the Vedic context of gaining knowledge, days after his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj triggered protests.

Amid the backlash, Solapurkar apologised on Sunday, expressing regret over his choice of words concerning Ambedkar, the social reformer and chief architect of India’s Constitution.

In a video that surfaced on social media on Sunday, the actor claimed Ambedkar was born to Ramji Sakpal in a Bahujan family and was 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," said the actor, who has appeared in several Marathi films. NCP (SP) legislator Jitendra Awhad hit out at Solapurkar over his remarks.

Sharing a video on X, Awhad said, “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,” the MLA said.

Facing criticism, Solapurkar tendered an apology over his remarks on Ambedkar. “I have given multiple lectures on 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 said.

The actor recently also stirred a row with his comments in a podcast about Shivaji Maharaj's great escape in 1666. Solapurkar had said the iconic 17th-century warrior king escaped from Agra Fort by bribing Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's officials, and not by concealing himself in a basket of sweets, as per the popular account.

After protests by Maratha outfits, Solapurkar resigned as trustee of the Pune-based Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) and said he regretted using the word “bribe” and hurting sentiments of those who revere Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.