Prakash Raj's post was seen as a sarcastic and derogatory swipe. (FILE)
Actor Prakash Raj has reacted to the backlash on his social media post on India's moon mission Chandrayaan-3. "Hate sees only hate," he posted, clarifying he was referring to an old joke.
The actor said his earlier tweet was referring to an old joke from the era of Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. "Hate sees only Hate... i was referring to a joke of #Armstrong times.. celebrating our Kerala Chaiwala.. which Chaiwala did the TROLLS see?? .. if you don't get a joke then the joke is on you.. Grow up #justasking(sic)," Mr Raj posted.
Mr Raj, earlier on Sunday, shared a cartoon showing a man pouring tea. He captioned the cartoon in Kannada, writing, "Latest news: First view just arrived from the Chandrayaan #VikramLander #justasking".
The post on X, formerly known as Twitter, was seen as a sarcastic and derogatory swipe at the Chandrayaan-3 mission by several social media users.
The post was termed insensitive and derogatory by users who urged him to show respect for the scientists responsible for India's historic Moon mission.
"Chandrayaan-3 is something the whole of India must be proud of, irrespective of political ideology. Know the boundary between political vs national trolling," wrote one user.
"There is a difference between hating someone and hating your country. So sad to see this state of yours!" wrote another.
A few users, however, defended the 58-year-old, saying it was a joke merely made in reference to the people of Kerala.
"Those who know only hate will see only hate. If it makes any difference, Prakash Raj is referencing a joke (that predates anyone you feel he is insulting) about how we find Keralites in every corner of the world and how the first thing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin saw when they stepped foot on the moon was a Malayali selling tea there. This is a classic joke made by us Keralites about ourselves and we wholeheartedly accept and laugh about it for decades. Now, if you have to insist on sticking to hate even after it has been explained to you, that says a lot about you, doesn't it?" the user wrote.
Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14, is ready to touch down on the Moon's south pole on August 23.