Indian actress Rakhi Sawant marked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday on September 17 with a post that stood apart from the wave of birthday wishes flooding Indian social media that day.
In the days leading up to the birthday, several leaders and lawmakers from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had urged people to light a diya as a gesture of blessing for the Indian premier. Rakhi followed the trend with her own version.
Taking to Instagram Stories, she posted a picture of a lit diya balanced on top of a raised middle finger. The caption underneath read “Happy birthday Modiji.”
The story disappeared quickly, but several users had already taken screenshots, and the image spread across Indian social media within hours.
Reactions split sharply down the middle. Supporters of the Indian Prime Minister called the post disrespectful and criticised the actress for it.
Others read it as a bold move and questioned why more Bollywood stars don’t show similar courage.
On the work front, Rakhi Sawant was most recently seen on India’s Got Latent.
