On 17 July 2024, a video emerged following an incident with actor
Asif Ali at the trailer launch of the then upcoming anthology film,
Manorathangal. At the event, Asif Ali was supposed to present a memento to Ramesh Narayan, which Ramesh Narayan snubbed.The video of it went viral, leading to widespread criticism and support waves for Asif Ali, and subjecting Ramesh Narayan to cyber trolls. The incident shows Ramesh got his hand to the award from Asif all the while seemingly ignoring the actor. Asif, visibly perplexed by the gesture, remained standing near the musician for a moment before returning to his seat. Ramesh then beckoned filmmaker
Jayaraj to make Jayaraj present the memento to him, and demeanour of Ramesh shifted noticeably, smiling and hugging Jayaraj. On July 18, 2024, Ramesh Narayan issued a public apology regarding the incident, attributing it to unintentional circumstances. Subsequently, on July 19, Asif Ali clarified his stance on the controversy during a press conference. Asif Ali suggested that Narayan's reaction stemmed from personal matters and denied he himself feeling insulted from Narayan's reaction. The actor's public statement also criticised the online harassment directed towards Ramesh Narayan. ==References==