Madhavan says, ‘ISRO used Panchang for Mars Mission’; responds to online trolls

The remark was said at a promotional event for his directorial debut movie 'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect', a biopic based on Nambi Narayanan, a former ISRO scientist falsely accused of espionage.
Actor R Madhavan
Actor R Madhavan

Actor R Madhavan was trolled recently by netizens for his remarks about the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014, also known as Mangalyaan.

In a now-viral video of the incident, the actor could be heard saying that ISRO had used the Hindu calendar Panchang for its Mars Orbiter Mission. He added that the Panchang has a celestial map of calculations on the positions of planets, their gravitational forces, their effect, the solar flares, etc. that was used to launch and insert the Mars orbiter spacecraft.

The low-craft spacecraft, Mangalyaan was launched by ISRO on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota to study the Martian surface and scan its atmosphere for methane, an indicator of life on the planet. India successfully launched the spacecraft in the orbit around Mars, making it the first Asian nation to reach the Martian orbit and the first country in the world to have done it on its first attempt.

However, netizens began trolling the actor following his statement for his “ignorant” remarks and for “undermining the work of the scientists” at ISRO.

Madhavan made the remark at a promotional event for his directorial debut, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, which is a biopic based on Nambi Narayanan, a former ISRO scientist and aerospace engineer who was falsely accused of espionage.

Noted Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna had also commented on this issue on Twitter. Sharing the link to the Mission Profile given on ISRO’s official website, he wrote, “Disappointed that @isro has not published this vital information on their website https://isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-orbiter-mission/mars-orbiter-mission-profile Time to also consider a Mars Panchangam (sic)!”

On Sunday, the actor responded to the social media trolling and tweeted: “I deserve this for calling the Almanac the Panchang in Tamil. Very ignorant of me. Though this cannot take away for the fact that what was achieved with just 2 engines by us in the Mars Mission. A record by itself. @NambiNOfficial. Vikas engine is a rockstar (sic).”

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect was one of the most widely discussed films at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 and also received a ten-minute standing ovation after its screening. The biopic is a narration of the life of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who is credited with the development of the Vikas engine and the introduction of liquid fuel rocket technology.

With an international cast including superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Suriya, the movie is set to be released in theatres on July 1.

Apart from Rocketry, Madhavan also has other projects lined up and recently completed shooting for Dhoka Round D Corner.

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