National Award-winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi trolled for eating beef in Onam TV programme

National Award-winning Malayalam actress Surabhi Lakshmi was trolled on social media after eating beef on a television show which was aired on Onam. As per a report in  Deccan Chronicle, the actress visited her favourite restaurant in Kozhikode to have their beef delicacy. Soon enough, right-wing loyalists started accusing her of hurting their religious sentiments by eating the ‘holy animal’ on the festival.  Lakshmi also told Indian Express that this particular segment was shot much before Onam and was only aired on the day of the festival. She said she had just gone to a restaurant she frequents like she would on any other day. Not just the broadcast but also a photo that she posted on social media on Onsadhya drew the trolls’ ire, who immediately began to call her names for eating chicken. However, the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, came to her aid and conveyed a strong message message about democracy and secularism from his Facebook profile. In the elaborate post, he explained that the kind of foods served during Onam differ in the state, depending on the region. There are commonalities between what people eat during the festival, and differences as well. He cited the example of people in the northern part of the state, who like to celebrate with non-vegetarian delicacies, while in the Southern belt, sticking to vegetarian food is what is common. Here’s the CM’s post:

Here’s a photo that Lakshi had shared on Onsadhya, for she was trolled: