Malayalam actress Navya Nair claims she was fined over Rs 1 lakh for carrying Jasmine flowers in Australia

NEW DELHI: Planning to take flowers with you on your flight to Australia? It’s wiser to leave them behind. Recently, Malayalam actress Navya Nair found herself in trouble at the Melbourne airport for carrying jasmine flowers.

At one of the events in Melbourne, Navya claimed she was heavily fined by the airport staff in Australia for jasmine flowers in her possession.

The incident occurred when Navya arrived in Melbourne to participate in the Onam celebrations organised by the Malayali Association of Victoria.

Airport authorities discovered around 15 centimetres of jasmine flowers in her bag, and under Australian biosecurity and customs laws, the import of fresh flowers and plant materials is strictly prohibited. Since violations can pose serious threats to the country’s agriculture and environment, the Australian Department of Agriculture imposed a fine of 1980 Australian dollars (approximately Rs 1.14 lakh) on the actress.

Following the episode, Navya posted a light-hearted video on social media, turning the fine into a moment of self-mockery.

In the video, she is seen at the airport eating food, boarding the flight, shopping, and walking around gracefully in a traditional Kerala sari, adorned with jasmine flowers in her hair.

The background track for the video is the trending song ‘Onam Mood’, and she captioned it playfully as, “Visuals just before I was fined.”

Navya Nair has been active in the entertainment industry for over two decades. She made her debut in 2001 with Ishtam and went on to gain recognition through films such as Mazhathullikkilukkam and Kunjikkoonan. (ANI)