Sandalwood actress Niveditha best known for her role in Parie has found herself in trouble, after a case was lodged against her for allegedly comparing cannabis to tulasi leaves during a media interaction. The complaint has been filed by Deepak, a resident of Malleshwaram, who accused the actress of hurting religious sentiments by comparing the sacred plant to cannabis.
During the media interaction, Niveditha had spoken that Cannabis has extraordinary medicinal qualities and is the backbone of Ayurveda. As per Times of India report, she was quoted as saying, "If we look at the history, cannabis was vastly grown in India, more in North India, compared to South, before it was made illegal in India in 1985. It was used to cure many diseases as well as for relaxation purposes. There is not a single person who has died because of consuming cannabis which is called in different names during Atharvaveda like Vijaya, Ajaya, Mathurani and Siddhi. There are also references in some books that cannabis was even used for religious purposes." (sic) Further, the actress cited the example of America and other 40 countries where cannabis consumption is legal. Niveditha was also trolled on social media for her stand on the usage of the drug. On the professional front, the actress was last seen in crime thriller Popcorn Monkey Tiger directed by Duniya Soori. The film released on February 22, 2020, also features Dhananjay, Sparsh Rekha, Amrutha Iyengar and Sapthami Gowda.