Actor Prakash Raj has responded to questions raised online after he performed the last rites of his mother, Suvarnalatha, following Christian traditions, even though he has earlier called himself an atheist.

Suvarnalatha died on March 29 at the age of 86. The funeral took place in Bengaluru on March 31. 

Visuals from the ceremony showed the 61-year-old actor emotional as he said goodbye to his mother.

Soon after, some users on X began questioning him. They referred to an old video where he said he does not believe in God. 

One user wrote, “Prakash Raj calls himself an atheist & says he doesn’t believe in God. Yet performs his mother’s last rites following Christian traditions."

The Wanted villain replied directly by reposting the objection video.

“Yes. I don’t believe in god .. but my mother believed in her god. Who am I to deny her the right to be buried according to her belief. This is the basic respect we give one another. Will you hate mongering monsters understand this #justasking," he wrote.

Suvarnalatha is survived by her three children , with Prakash Raj being the eldest.

On the work side, Prakash Raj was recently seen in projects like Devara: Part 1 and They Call Him OG. He is also expected to work with Mahesh Babu in a film directed by S. S. Rajamouli.