Item girl 'sorry' for blasphemous pose in 'Policegiri'

Actress Kavitta Verma has apologised to the Christian community for her "blasphemous" pose in forthcoming Bollywood movie "Policegiri", an activist said.

Kavitta's dressing scantily with a rosary on her body and the Holy Cross on her belly had raked up a controversy among Christians last week.

The Christian Secular Forum (CSF) had raised the issue with the movie's producers, T.P. Aggarwal and Rahul Aggarwal, and the Censor Board, demanding deletion of the offensive scenes from the movie, failing which they would not permit its release next month.

Late Monday, the producers invited CSF general secretary Joseph Dias and others for a meeting along with Verma.

"I tender an unconditional apology, as I am aware that the said picture has hurt your religious sentiments and that of the community and hereby withdraw the same," Kavitta's apology said.

Kavitta conceded that she made a "mistake" and committed to use religious objects in a "reverential" manner in the future.

"Both Verma and the Aggarwals tendered separate written apology to the Catholic community said that they hold the highest regard for all religions and would not include the offensive scenes in the movie. We are satisfied with it. We shall now write to the Censor Board to ensure that such scenes are deleted before the movie is released," Dias told IANS.

Explaining the strong stance on the issue, Dias said that Christians are commanded by their faith to forgive, but "that does not mean blasphemy of any kind will be tolerated."

He vowed that the CSF would continue to act as a watchdog not only for the Christian community but all other faiths, since religion is a sensitive issue with potential for provoking violent reactions.