- Faria Abdullah faced criticism for participating in Hyderabad's Bonalu festival
- She explained her father converted to Islam by choice and she was raised respecting all religions
- Faria emphasised her upbringing taught her to see the positive side of different faiths and love all
Faria Abdullah has responded to the criticism she received after joining the Bonalu celebrations in Hyderabad. The Telugu actor got emotional while speaking about the trolling in a video shared on social media.
Faria was part of the Bonalu festivities on August 10 at the Sri Mahankaleshwara Ammavari Temple in Miralam Mandi. Wearing traditional attire, she carried a Bonam and took part in the celebrations alongside others.
Her participation, however, did not go down well with everyone. Some social media users questioned why Faria had attended the Hindu festival. The criticism prompted the actor to speak about her faith and upbringing.
Speaking about her father, Faria said, "My dad is a converted Muslim. Do you understand what that means? He got converted to Islam because he liked the religion."
She explained that growing up, she was taught to see the positive side of different faiths. "What kind of an upbringing would I have had if someone were bringing me up, showing me all the good things about a religion because they loved it so much that they wanted to accept it? I've always seen the good about Islam. I really wish good things for you," she said.
Faria also made it clear that the comments would not change how she views people or religion. Fighting back tears, she said, "I want to be aggressive about my love, and I will. I will send love to all of you who are hating on me right now because I know that my heart is true. I know I've experienced the love, I've experienced the blessings, and experienced what gratitude can do for you."
Faria continued, "When I was a kid, I asked my mom, ' What is this word, Allah? What does it mean? She just said it means light. It means everything everywhere all at once. How can you exclude something from everything everywhere all at once?"
Bonalu is one of Telangana's major traditional festivals and is dedicated to Goddess Mahakali. It is celebrated during Ashada Masam, particularly in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, and several other parts of the state.
A key part of the festival is Bonam, a traditional food offering prepared by devotees, particularly women, and carried to temples as an offering to the Goddess. The celebrations also feature processions, music and dance.
Faria, who was born and raised in Hyderabad, entered Telugu cinema with Jathi Ratnalu in 2021. She has since appeared in films including Ravanasura, Like, Share & Subscribe, and Mathu Vadalara 2.