On Thursday, we reported that actors Vishal and Nassar publicly expressed their disappointment in Rajendra Prasad for his words on late actor and politician MG Ramachandran. The Tamil actors even urged the veteran to apologise. On Friday, the Telugu actor let out a video tendering an apology.

"At the function where I was honoured with the Kantha Rao Award, when I was casually speaking on stage, I misspoke about Tamil cinema's legendary actor, MGR sir. I'm unsure who did it, but it has blown out of proportion. Why would I disrespect MGR sir? When I was studying in the film institute, MGR sir was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. He had even visited our institute to see how we learned acting. I am nobody to disrespect him. Even then, if my words have hurt the sentiments of anybody, I sincerely apologise and assure you that I will never speak in this manner again," he said.

For the unversed, Rajendra Prasad had made the comments while praising the acting prowess of legendary Telugu star Kantha Rao at the Kalaprapurna Kantha Rao National Award–2025 ceremony in Hyderabad. However, the comparison involving MGR did not sit well with many, especially in Tamil Nadu, where the late actor-leader continues to be widely revered.

Reacting to the controversy, Vishal had said he was “shocked and repelled” by the remarks. Addressing Rajendra Prasad respectfully, the actor wrote that while praising Kantha Rao was “a lovely gesture", bringing down another legendary figure like MGR had hurt the sentiments of many. Through a video statement, actor Nassar also appealed to Rajendra Prasad to issue an apology, saying he was hurt by the comparison made with MGR.