During her trip to attend Onam festivities hosted by the Malayali Association of Victoria, Malayalam actress Navya Nair was fined at Melbourne International Airport. The fine amounted to USD 1,980 (around ₹1.14 lakh) for carrying a jasmine gajra in her baggage. Nair shared the story, including an image of the incident, on her Instagram. She was carrying a small 15 cm jasmine garland, which is restricted under Australian law. Nair was unaware of the regulations about bringing jasmine flowers into the country.
She recounted that her father had purchased the jasmine garland, dividing it into two pieces. She was told to wear one from Kochi to Singapore. The other piece was meant for the airport, which led to the fine when she did not realize she was breaking the law. Navya has to pay the fine within a month. She has received two Kerala State Film Awards for Best Actress for her work in Malayalam cinema, and she has also acted in Tamil and Kannada films.