A single tweet from a South Indian film journalist wishing actor Dileep and his family was enough to provoke angry reactions from a host of female actors, who were all offended at the praise being directed at someone accused of masterminding the abduction and assault of a fellow actor. Film journalist Sridevi Sridhar had on Friday tweeted a wish to Dileep and Kavya on the birth of their baby girl.
But, she might not have anticipated the angry reactions from several actors. Telugu actor Lakshmi Manchu said she couldn’t believe the journalist tagged the actor and called him lovely, despite him “still being on criminal records for getting an actor abducted and almost raped. Women in Malayalam are n’t able to work cos they stood up against him.” Actor Tapsee Pannu asked her to convey her wishes too to the actor, and expressed her wish that he would “promise his daughter that he will never let any man do what he did to another woman”.
‘Unbelievable’
Rakul Preet, who stars in Telugu and Tamil films, said media should not be glorifying people like Dileep. “If we don’t take a stand, then who will. Unbelievable that a tweet like this comes from you. Remember we are the change. Set examples.” Raai Laxmi, who acts in most South Indian languages, said such praise for the actor was totally unacceptable.