The actress Navya Nair was fined USD 1,980 (around ₹1.14 lakh) at Melbourne International Airport for carrying a jasmine gajra. She was traveling to attend Onam celebrations. Nair shared the incident on Instagram. The reason for the fine was the 15 cm jasmine garland in her possession. She was unaware of the restrictions on bringing jasmine flowers into Australia.
Nair recounted that her father bought the jasmine garland for her, splitting it into two parts, with instructions to wear one part on her initial journey and keep the other for use at the airport. She unintentionally violated the law, and the authorities have requested payment within 28 days. Navya Nair is a celebrated actress who has won awards for her performances in Malayalam cinema and has also worked in Tamil and Kannada films.