KUALA LUMPUR: Celebrity chef Datuk Redzuawan Ismail or Chef Wan, 66, has apologised for his "insensitive" remark on Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai's dress.
Chef Wan said in an Instagram post today that he did not mean to make fun of Hinduism and sincerely apologised for his remark.
"It has never been my intention to make fun of any religious community. I respect all peoples, religions and cultures.
"I want to sincerely apologise to Aishwarya Rai, whom I greatly respect as a superstar, for what I said about her dress.
"Even though I said something sarcastic, it was meant to be a harmless joke with fellow netizens," he said, adding that he actually loved her stylish gown with peacock feather motifs.
Chef Wan recently described Aishwarya's dress as one which resembled a Thaipusam kavadi which could be seen during the annual festival at Batu Caves, Selayang, Selangor.
A police report was made against him by a school teacher last Friday, and this was confirmed by Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Sukarno Mohd Zahari.
Police have confirmed that Chef Wan is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.