Hyderabad: Actress Kasthuri Shankar was arrested by the Egmore police on Saturday, November 16 at a film producer’s residence in Hyderabad due to her controversial comments about the Telugu community.

Following the rejection of her anticipatory bail by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, which deemed her remarks “unwarranted,” police had been searching for her after she went missing from her home in Chennai and turned off her mobile phone.

Speaking at a public event on November 3, she suggested that certain Telugu-speaking individuals in Tamil Nadu descended from courtesans who served ancient kings, implying that they had adopted Tamil identities over time.

This statement incited significant backlash, with accusations that she had disrespected the community and its heritage.

Kasthuri has since expressed regret for her statements, claiming they were misinterpreted.

She stated that her comments were aimed at a specific historical subgroup rather than the entire Telugu community and sought to clarify her intentions, asserting that she never meant to insult anyone.

The police are now transporting her to Chennai to present her before a magistrate court.

Kasthuri Shankar has had a career in the South Indian film industry, acting in a range of films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.

One of her most significant roles came in the landmark Tamil film Indian (1996), directed by Shankar, where she played a crucial character alongside veteran actor Kamal Haasan.

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