On Twitter on Sunday, Prakash Raj posted a cartoon of a man pouring tea from one cup to another while dressed in a lungi and shirt.
The joke is said to be about astronaut Neil Armstrong Edwin, who was shocked to find a Malayali running a tea shop on the moon. While the country is celebrating the arrival of Chandrayaan 3, Prakash Raj is under fire for a recent tweet.
He tweeted, “First view just arrived from Chandrayaan.. #VikramLander #justasking.” He received strong criticism for being disrespectful of ISRO and the country after making a snide post regarding the mission. However, the actor later claimed that the tweet was a prank.
BREAKING NEWS:-
First picture coming from the Moon by #VikramLander Wowww #justasking pic.twitter.com/RNy7zmSp3G— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) August 20, 2023
This tweet, however, unexpectedly backfired and prompted a heated controversy. In truth, Prakash Raj was charged with a crime at the Bagalkot police station in Karnataka for his post about the Chandrayaan-3 project.
“Leaders of Hindu organisations filed a complaint against the actor in Banahatti police station of Bagalkote district and have demanded action,” the police are quoted as saying to NDTV.
He then lashed back and netizens and defended his post. He wrote, “Hate sees only Hate.. i was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times .. celebrating our kerala Chaiwala .. which Chaiwala did the TROLLS see ?? .. if you dont get a joke then the joke is on you .. GROW UP(sic).”
Hate sees only Hate.. i was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times .. celebrating our kerala Chaiwala .. which Chaiwala did the TROLLS see ?? .. if you dont get a joke then the joke is on you .. GROW UP #justasking https://t.co/NFHkqJy532
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) August 21, 2023
Chandrayaan 3, the Indian Space Research Organization’s third lunar mission, is planned to land on the moon on August 23 at 18:04 IST.
The ISRO website, YouTube channel, Facebook page, and television network DD National will all be live-streaming Vikram’s moon landing. India joins the United States, Russia, and China as the fourth country to achieve this feat, which fills the country with pride.