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An FIR has been lodged against Odia film actor Tatwa Prakash Satpathy, aka Papu Pom Pom, for his TikTok spoof of internet singing sensation Ranu Mondal.

The 58-year-old singer went viral after a Kolkata engineer posted a video of her effortlessly crooning Lata Mangeshkar’s Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai, whilst seated on a platform in the city’s Ranaghat station. Soon after, she recorded her first film song with singer Himesh Reshammiya.

Satpathy, dressed in a yellow sari with a wig, lip-synced to Mondal’s voice as another actor imitated Reshammiya.

The FIR – lodged in a Cuttack police station – accused the actor of insulting Mandal and hurting the sentiments of people from Odisha who admire her story, reported News18

Social media users also called out the actor for failing to appreciate Mondal’s inspiring story. “This is a disgrace! Shame on you! Please delete the video,” wrote one user on YouTube, while another commented, “It’s very sad that people like you are trying to mock a lady who was so poor and has now gained popularity due to her voice. You should have tried to boost the morale of such people around you and gain more positive popularity. Shame on you.”

Responding to the criticism, the actor told OTV, that he had had no intention to mock the Kolkata singer. Satpathy said his video was “a gift and a bundle of good wishes from one artiste to another...If one goes on nitpicking, everything will appear problematic.”

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