Bollywood Celebrities On Ayodhya Verdict

Bollywood celebrities have lauded Indians for maintaining peace after the Ayodhya verdict and also hoped that the "shrieking" media does not "overdo their melodramatic analysis" and inflame passions.

Celebrities like Diya Mirza, Priyanka Chopra and Arshad Warsi took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share their views after the Allahabad High Court ruled that the spot in Ayodhya where a makeshift temple was built after razing the Babri mosque in 1992, was indeed where Hindu god Ram was born.

There was heavy security in the nation prior to the verdict, but celebrities were glad that people remained peaceful.

Acclaimed filmmaker Pritish Nandy posted: "No report of any trouble anywhere across India. Proud to be an Indian in moments like this."

"Now that the verdict has been announced, can we please leave Ayodhya behind and move on with our lives? We need to look ahead. If anything the verdict shows that we in India, despite our differences, our politics and our shrieking media, respect the rule of law," he added.

Music composer Vishal Dadlani has appealed to Indian to "be proud, be strong".

"Resist every impulse to divide us. If Ram and Allah made us human, we owe it to them to be humane. Truly proud of my country and my people today. Jai Hind!" he added.

By a majority decision, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court also ruled that the land around the disputed site should be divided into three parts -- one going to Hindus, another to Muslims and the third to Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu sect and a litigant in the case.

Actor Uday Chopra said: "Some decisions are beyond law. I think the bench has opted for a settlement and gone pro peace...If it helps to maintain it then I’m for it."

Sophie Choudhry prayed that "this ‘division’ helps to ‘unite’ our nation more than ever!"

National award winning actress Priyanka Chopra, however, said: "It will take a little time to fully decipher the ruling". But she appealed "... keep the peace... it’s our nation at stake!"

Meanwhile, other actors said the media must react responsibly and not infuriate people with over-the-top discussions.

"Verdict is out. Views (are) being expressed. No harm with that as long as the media does not meander and people remain peaceful," stated Diya Mirza.

While internationally-acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said: "Now that the judgement is over, the media should not overdo their melodramatic analysis or else they will inflame people."

According to actor Arshad Warsi, the judgement should be accepted gracefully.

"Let us accept the judgement and ignore the lawyers and their opinion on news channels. Humanity should be our religion," he posted.