Telugu actress Faria Abdullah addresses Bonalu trolling as VHRP condemns online backlash: 'Those who hate me, call me a kafir'

Telugu actress Faria Abdullah, best known for her Jathi Ratnalu and Aa Okkati Adakku among others has found herself at the centre of an controversy after her participation in Hyderabad's Bonalu celebrations. The actress later broke her silence in an emotional video opening about her multicultural upbringing and the impact of trolling on her. Vishwa Hindu Raksha Parishad (VHRP) later condemned the online trolling of Faria.

Faria Abdullah breaks silence over the controversy of being part of Bonalu celebrations

Taking to her Instagram profile, Faria shared a clip in which she broke down while speaking about the Bonalu controversy. She said, "My dad is a converted Muslim bro. Do you understand what that means? He got converted to Islam because he liked the religion."

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"What kind of an upbringing would I have had if someone were bringing me up, showing me all the good things about a religion because they loved it so much that they wanted to accept it. I've always seen the good about Islam. I really wish good things for you bro actually." Responding to those calling her a “kafir”, Faria said she would not respond to hatred with hatred.

“Whoever is hating on me, whoever thinks that main galat jaa rahi hoon, kafir hoon (I am going down the wrong path, I am a kafir), whatever you want to say, I wish you well for you, bro,” Faria said. Faria further stated that she prays for “love, unity and peace”, describing her decision to spread love despite the trolling as her “rebellion” and "revolution". For the unversed, her father, Sanjay Abdullah, who was born a Hindu and later converted to Islam.

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VHRP condemns the online trolling of Faria Abdulla's participation in Bonalu's celebrations

As per the ANI report, Vishwa Hindu Raksha Parishad (VHRP) National Mahila President Yamuna Pathak has condemned the online trolling of Telugu actress Faria Abdullah post the participation in Bonalu celebrations. She said, "I strongly condemn the vicious trolling and the religious targeting of actress Faria Abdullah merely for participating in Bonalu and offering prayers at a temple. Bharat is governed by the Constitution, not by religious policy."

“Every citizen enjoys equality, dignity and freedom of conscience under articles 14, 19, 21 and 25...targetting or humiliating a woman for celebrating another community's tradition is unacceptable.”

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For the unversed, Faria Abdullah participated in the traditional Bonalu festival at the Sri Simhavahini Mahankali Temple in Hyderabad's Old City on August 9. Several videos from the celebrations showed the actress carrying a traditional Bonam and joining the procession along with Pothuraju performers.

Who is Faria Abdullah?

Born in Hyderabad, Faria Abdullah is the daughter of Sanjay Abdullah and Kausar Sultana. She hails from an Urdu-speaking Muslim family. She originally worked as a theatre actress, and in 2021 she made the transition to a film actress with the film Jathi Ratnalu.

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She then played lead roles in the films Like, Share & Subscribe in 2022, and Ravanasura in 2023. The same year Abdullah made her first appearance on the Hindi streaming series, The Jengaburu Curse, in which she plays the main character: the series, her debut in Hindi, was released on August 9, 2023.