Adnan Siddiqui distanced himself from the controversy.
Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui, who had shared the screen space with late actors Irrfan Khan and Sridevi in A Mighty Heart and Mom respectively, had to face an embarrassing situation while his appearance on a TV show. It was 'uncomfortable' for the Pakistani actor after the host cracked an insensitive distasteful joke on the two late Indian actors. However, Siddiqui has distanced himself from the controversy and released a statement on the social media making his stance clear.
The actor in his elaborate statement even apologised to Irrfan and Sridevi's families. "This is in very bad taste, not only does it show him and me but also the entire country in bad light. I want to apologise to the families of Sridevi Sahiba and lrrfan Khan Sahab, their loved ones and fans," he wrote.
Adnan Siddiqui's statement on Instagram read: “So I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling right now or what to say. But this needs to go out. I was invited on the live chat show ‘Jeewey Pakistan’ yesterday when this unfortunate incident happened. The anchor Amir Liaquat Sahab joked about something extremely sensitive. Not only were they both close to me but also as a human it was wrong on so many levels. I cannot even call it ‘hitting below the belt’.”
He further added, “It was an extremely callous act to joke about the deceased. This is in very bad taste, not only does it show him and me but also the entire country in bad light. I want to apologise to the families of Sridevi Sahiba and lrrfan Khan Sahab, their loved ones and fans. If you see my body language I was extremely uncomfortable with what he said but I didn’t want to stoop to that level. I regret being on the show. I’ve learnt my lesson and I promise I will not tolerate such an act in future. I was hoping this bit wouldn’t become public but unfortunately it has. I’m sorry. Thank you.” He ended the note with folded hands emoji.
The host of the show joked how the actors Adnan worked with are no more. He even went on to make fun of him rejecting Rani Mukerji’s Mardaani 2 and stated that he 'saved'.the life of the actress.
Adnan had played the role of Sridevi’s husband Anand in the 2017 release Mom, which is Sridevi's last film before her untimely death in Dubai. In 2007 film A Mighty Heart, Irrfan played the role of Karachi police chief.
Irrfan died of colon infection on Wednesday, while Sridevi breathed her last on February 24, 2018.
