After backlash, actor Siddharth apologises to Saina Nehwal for his alleged sexist comment

Taking to Twitter, Siddharth wrote, "I want to apologise to you for my rude joke that I wrote as a response to a tweet of yours, a few days ago."

"I may disagree with you on many things but even my disappointment or anger when I read your tweet, cannot justify my tone and words..." he added.

Siddharth further said his "word play and humour had none of the malicious intent that so many people from all quarters have attributed to it".

"You will always be my Champion," the actor added.

Backing Prime Minister Modi, Nehwal had tweeted, "No nation can claim itself to be safe if the security of its own PM gets compromised. I condemn, in the strongest words possible, the cowardly attack on PM Modi by anarchists."

Taking an apparent dig at the badminton star, Siddharth had tweeted, "Subtle cock champion of the world... Thank God we have protectors of India. Shame on you #Rihanna."

Reacting to the tweet, Nehwal told English news channel India Today, "I’m not sure what he meant... I used to like him as an actor but this was not nice.

"He can express himself with better words but I guess it’s Twitter and you remain noticed with such words and comments."

Not just the politicians, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma said she would take up the matter with police.

Withstanding the criticism and backlash, Siddharth had even backed his tweet on Nehwal in a counter post which reads, "'COCK & BULL' That's the reference. Reading otherwise is unfair and leading! Nothing disrespectful was intended, said or insinuated. Period."

Siddharth has possibly referred to international pop star Rihanna in his tweet to refer to the latter's support to the farmers' protests against the agricultural reforms which the Modi government withdrew in November last year.

Several Indian celebrities took to Twitter to slam Rihanna for interfering in the country's internal matters.