After coming under fire for his comments associating himself with a caste during a Ustaad Bhagat Singh event, actor Parthiban has posted a video as an explanation about what transpired the other day.
In the 10-minute-long explanation video, he said he was candid about having Telugu roots but never carried caste pride. Recalling how supportive his father, who insisted on speaking Telugu at home, equally insisted that he learn to perfect the Tamil diction when he began working in films.
He said that even his father's demise did not shake him as much as the backlash he has been receiving over his caste remarks. Explaining about that very particular event, Parthiban elaborated that he was actually anxious on that day as he wasn't eloquent in Telugu as he is with Tamil. He shared footage of the event with him, seen with a piece of paper in his hands. Before the speech, he said, someone next to me asked if he was a Naidu and added that it stuck to his mind, and that was how 'Naidu Abbayi' slipped out of him instead of 'Telugu Abbayi'.
He also said he was taking serious efforts to obtain a no-caste and no-religion certificate. Explaining the process, he said when he approached the authorities, he was turned down as he was told they were busy with election duties. While closing the video, he declared that his caste is the human caste, his religion is humanity, and his language is cinema.