Pa Ranjith supports #MeToo movement.Kollywood celebrities, of late, are becoming notorious for making misogynistic comments at film-related events. Senior film producer K Rajan joined the bandwagon by openly threatening to destroy popular singer and dubbing artist Chinmayi for accusing lyricist Vairamuthu of sexual misconduct in the wake of #MeToo movement.
“What do you (Chinmayi) expect from Vairamuthu by telling an incident that happened some 15 years ago?” he said at the audio release function of upcoming film Para.
“Why are you harassing Vairamuthu like that? It is not good. Don’t destroy the reputation of popular people for your cheap publicity. I also have some people with me who can destroy you,” K Rajan threatened.
Director Pa.Ranjith, who was also one of the chief guests at the event, set an example by calling out Rajan’s misogyny on the same stage. “The film industry has sexually exploited women for years. We can’t deny that. When women like Sri Reddy makes a complaint, we should investigate and take it to the next stage. Treating a woman as an offender when she makes a complaint is very wrong. I condemn it,” he said.
“Naming Mr Vairamuthu in 2018 has brought forth a ban and so much shame. There’s a producer threatening in the open for naming such a greaaaaat man like Vairamuthu. As if these people would have trusted me if I had said I was groped by him then,” Chinmayi tweeted reacting to K Rajan’s comments.
Several senior actors and filmmakers have made unapologetic, anti-women statements since the #MeToo movement in India. People who have made problematic comments in the past have gone scot-free largely due to the film industry’s lack of will to address the issue. Worse, some of the comments have been received with applause and laughter.
