'Jasprit Bumrah ji, you are taking football to new heights... I'm your biggest fan': Ram Charan reacts after viral gaffe

Superstar Ram Charan has apologised for terming India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah a footballer during the promotion of his upcoming movie 'Peddi'. The Telugu actor said that his forgetfulness with name led to him mistaking Bumrah with a footballer. Ram Charan made the bizarre remark regarding Bumrah during the music launch event of 'Peddi' in Bhopal. Music composer AR Rahman, actor Janhvi Kapoor and the rest of the film’s cast and crew were also in attendance when the actor made this comment.

Ram Charan loves Bumrah, the footballer During the event, Ram Charan was asked to describe some of India's biggest cricketers in one word. For Sachin Tendulkar, he recalled "the long and legendary run he had". He chose "calm and cool" for MS Dhoni and "everybody's man" for Rohit Sharma. He responded with "fire" for Virat Kohli.

The last name on the list was of Bumrah. For the fast bowler, Ram Charan bizarrely said: "Jasprit Bumrah ji, I am your biggest fan. I love football and you are taking football to new heights. Love you, sir." Context - pic.twitter.com/yK0YIH6V7d — Film Culture (@CinemasHive) May 23, 2026 The video of this gaffe went viral with fans having a good laugh on the Internet.

Ram Charan then issued an apology on his X account, saying that his remarks were a "genuine human rumour" due to the excitement of the event. “Uff… I’m genuinely so forgetful with names sometimes. Apologies to Jasprit Bumrah Ji for the mix-up – it was a genuine human error in the middle of all the excitement and the crowd," he wrote in his defence. Uff… I’m genuinely so forgetful with names sometimes. Apologies to @Jaspritbumrah93 Ji for the mix-up - it was a genuine human error in the middle of all the excitement and the crowd 🙏🏼 I truly respect you and I am a huge fan of your game.

You make every Indian feel proud when… — Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) May 23, 2026 "I truly respect you and I am a huge fan of your game. You make every Indian feel proud when you consistently put batsmen on back foot," he further added in his post. Bumrah will be in action for one last time in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League when Mumbai Indians take on Rajasthan Royals in the final league stage game for both the sides. The Indian pace spearhead has been in poor form this season, taking only four wickets in 13 matches.