Radha Ravi’s statements have evoked widespread backlash.Nadigar Sangam General Secretary and Tamil Film Producers Council President Vishal has joined the group of celebrities who have condemned veteran actor Radha Ravi for his personal attack on Nayanthara.
In a tweet, Vishal mentioned that Nadigar Sangam has sent a letter to Radha Ravi condemning his “stupidity”. Vishal even urged the veteran actor to “grow up”.
Vishal tweeted, “Dear #radharavi SIR.Yes as a gen Secy of Nadigar sangam I wish I had da pleasure of signing the letter of condemning u 4 yr stupidity n yr recent speech against women n particular.its snt 2 u.grow up.call yaself Ravi fm now onwrds Coz u hv a woman s name n ya name.”
Dear #radharavi SIR.Yes as a gen Secy of Nadigar sangam I wish I had da pleasure of signing the letter of condemning u 4 yr stupidity n yr recent speech against women n particular.its snt 2 u.grow https://t.co/IgLu1huAfc yaself Ravi fm nowonwrds Coz u hv a woman s name n ya name.
— Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) March 24, 2019
During the trailer launch of Nayanthara’s upcoming horror film Kolaiyuthir Kalaam, Radha Ravi made sexist remarks against the female actor. He said, “Nayanthara plays a ghost in Tamil films and the goddess Sita in Telugu movies. In my days, we would cast actresses like KR Vijaya to play the role of Sita. Today, anybody can play Sita. You can cast a person, whom you respect or someone who sleeps around”. He also made a highly “insensitive” joke about the Pollachi sexual assault case at the same event.
Also read | Veteran actor Radha Ravi draws flak for misogynistic comments against Nayanthara
Radha Ravi’s statements have evoked widespread backlash. Celebrities including singer Chinmayi, actors Radhika Sarathkumar and Varu Sarathkumar have publicly condemned Radha Ravi.
Actor Siddharth, meanwhile, implied that Nayanthara was silent during the #MeToo movement and wrote in a tweet, “If you speak up only when your own are affected, it’s not called bravery”. He tweeted, “I was shocked that my entire fraternity was either silent or cynical about the #MeToo movement; I silently rued the fact that it would take only the anger of a powerful woman to make the sleeping wake up. If you speak up only when your own are affected, it’s not called bravery.”
Nayanthara’s boyfriend, director Vignesh Shivan defended her by putting out a statement directed at Siddharth and wrote that “one’s silence on social media does not mean that they are not supporting an issue”. He further added, “Nayanthara has always stood for the safety and welfare of women”.
With all due respect to you @Actor_Siddharth and ur opinion .. pic.twitter.com/C8uo2DDlzg
— Vignesh Shivan (@VigneshShivN) March 25, 2019
KJR Studios, which has produced movies like Aramm and Gulebhagavalli, took a strong stand against Radha Ravi. The production house publicly stated that they will not cast the veteran actor in any of their movies henceforth.
Also read | Will not cast Radha Ravi in any of our films: KJR Studios
“We sincerely condemn Mr Radha Ravi and will not cast him in any of our films and we will strongly advice our associates and friends in the industry not to cast him either. We hope you take appropriate action against him”, the statement read.
