Following intense backlash from netizens for her recent stance on student protests over NEET paper leaks, actor-television presenter Pearle Maaney offered a clarification on her comments. Appearing in her own YouTube channel, Pearle Maaney said that she put out her opinion on the issue because of requests from various corners. The actor-television host said that she based her opinion on a set of reels, where both students and police officers can be seen taking severe beating. Pearle Maaney said that she does not condone violence, regardless of its source.
In her clarification, the actor-TV host said that she told the protesters to be safe, even if that means going home, out of her concern for their health and wellbeing. "I am nobody to tell them to stop the protest. That is not what I meant," she explained.
In the video, Pearle also said that she does not have any allegiance to a particular party and that the use of saffron colour in her post does not indicate the same. "I used a template from Canva with saffron colour in it without thinking anything specific," the actor-TV host said before adding that she has several friends who support various parties. Pearle clarified her comment about saffron being her favourite colour, saying that she meant the colour in the Indian flag. She dismissed the tendency to link her post to the BJP.
Another element from Pearle Maaney's recent social media activity that courted controversy is her calling someone 'a failed filmmaker'. Pearle said that she meant it for Sibi Malayil's son, Joe, and that she deleted the post right away because she realised she made a mistake. "I knew people would take screenshots and call me out for it," Pearle said before offering her apology to Joe Malayil. She also called Sibi Malayil one of her favourite filmmakers.
