After a month of laying low, Will Smith was spotted in India as he made his first public appearance since his infamous Oscars slap. At the 94th Academy Awards, Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock for joking about his wife Jada’s shaved head. She suffers from the autoimmune disease alopecia, which causes rapid hair loss, and Smith wasn't pleased by the joke. He subsequently won the Best Actor award for King Richard. Since the incident, Smith has been seemingly canceled in Hollywood, and several projects that he was producing or starring in have been shelved or indefinitely delayed.Will Smith has apologized several times for his behavior and even accepted the Academy’s 10-year ban. Until now, the Men in Black star had been keeping a low profile to ride out the PR storm that he stirred up, but for how long could an actor of his stature maintain that? On Saturday, Smith was seen at a private airfield in Mumbai, India. Amid chants of "Will, Will" from fans, Smith waved to the crowd and posed for pictures. Per TMZ, Indian media was somehow already aware of Smith’s trip and welcomed him at the airport.

While the purpose of his visit is unknown, he is rumored to be on a spiritual tour and will meet with well-known Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, who is known for his lessons on self-transformation and inner peace. Smith and his family have previously met Sadhguru in Los Angeles in 2020. A person dressed in saffron clothing, which is the typical attire of Indian monks, was also seen accompanying him, while Smith himself had prayer beads around his neck. Smith also visited India back in 2019 for his reality show Will Smith's Bucket List and performed various holy rituals that "awakened a new understanding" of himself. Hopefully, Smith’s trip will turn out to be worthwhile.

Related: Jada Pinkett Smith Breaks Silence After Oscars Incident, Calls for 'Healing'

Will Smith Has Been Temporarily Shunned In Hollywood

ABC

Like the public, Hollywood too seems divided on Will Smith’s actions. Some people have been demanding he be arrested for assaulting a person on live television. Since then, Smith and his family have instead become the butt of jokes, with several comedians supporting Chris Rock and making fun of the Smiths. Indian netizens too couldn’t help themselves with some calling for him to slap local politicians and comedians. Smith has also received some support, especially from Denzel Washington and Terry Crews.

There have been conflicting reports about Will Smith’s acting career. Some experts believe Hollywood, being as it is, may cash in on the publicity, and Will Smith will be flooded with roles, while others believe he has been put in Hollywood jail, and we won’t be seeing the King Richard actor for at least a few years. His upcoming movies Bright 2, I Am Legend, Bad Boys 4, and his biopic have all been delayed or canceled. The Academy has done everything but take Smith’s Oscar, which many believe was the only thing they had to do to discipline him.

But whatever the case, Will Smith is one of the most bankable actors in the industry, and it’s unlikely he’ll suffer any long-term setbacks due to his behavior. He will next be seen in Apple TV+’s slavery drama, Emancipation. As for Chris Rock, he is still processing the slap that was heard worldwide. Rock briefly addressed the slap recently: "I'm OK, I have a whole show [about other topics] and I'm not talking about that until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back."