Radha Ravi slut-shames Nayanthara, her boyfriend Vignesh Shivn and Chinmayi lead Tamil film industry in condemning him

At the trailer launch of Nayanthara’s upcoming Tamil thriller Kolayuthir Kaalam, Radha Ravi passed a lewd comment on Nayanthara, earning the wrath of social media and members of the industry.

Actors Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar and Vignesh Shivn and other members of Tamil film fraternity have criticised veteran actor Radha Ravi for his derogatory comments on actor Nayanthara. At the trailer launch of Nayanthara’s upcoming Tamil thriller Kolayuthir Kaalam, Ravi passed a lewd comment on Nayanthara, earning the wrath of social media and members of the industry.

“Nayanthara has acted as a ghost and as goddess Sita as well. Earlier, KR Vijaya was the most popular choice to play the role of goddess. Today, anyone can be cast to play a goddess. They can cast someone who you want to pray to when you look at them, they can also cast someone you want to call towards you when you see them,” Ravi said. Ravi’s comments soon went viral, immediately inviting a backlash.

Nayanthara stars in the horror thriller Kolaiyuthir Kaalam.

Well-known singer and dubbing artiste Chinmayi Sripaada was among the first ones to call out Ravi’s insensitive comments on Nayanthara. Radha Ravi, who heads the dubbing union in TN, had banned Chinmayi for speaking out against lyricist Vairamuthu for sexual harassment. “Ok. So the Producer’s council and the Nadigar Sangam can’t take any action in my case because they cannot ‘interfere in the functioning of other unions’. But this man is actually abusing a successful female actor on stage. Do take action, if you could?,” Chinmayi tweeted.

 

Varalaxmi wrote: “Shaming women, making offensive jokes on women (which they think is not offensive) degrading women, using women as eye candy have all become a part of this film industry thanks to our previous generations of women and men who didn’t react and instead thought it was ok. This is our state.” She added that if all the women in the film fraternity stood up with Chinmayi during #MeToo movement, things would have changed. “Silence is not going to get us anywhere. Every single woman has to stand up.”

Varalaxmi also said that most film unions and associations are run by “male chauvinists”. “They will never act on anything and just act like they support women, when in reality each of them has in one way or other contributed to this situation of women being degraded either in their reel or real lives,” she said.

 

 

Filmmaker Milind Rau, joining the outrage, said he will never work with Radha Ravi ever again. “This is disgusting behaviour! I personally take a stand that I will never work with this misogynistic person ever again,” he tweeted.

 

Nayanthara’s boyfriend and Vignesh Shivn said nobody would take action on Radha Ravi as he comes from a very popular family. “He keeps doing this to seek attention! Brainless! Sad to see audience laughing and clapping for his filthy comments,” he tweeted. Shivn also said that nobody had any idea that the event was going to take place for an incomplete film. “The actual producers or directors left the film few years back I guess! Inappropriate event with unnecessary people sitting and not knowing what to speak! If this is called promoting a movie then it’s good to stay away from such events which don’t have any need but just to give opportunities like this for jobless people to vomit some senseless, useless stuff on stage.”

 

 

KJR Studios, the production company which has bankrolled films such as Aramm and upcoming horror-thriller Airaa with Nayanthara, swore to never cast Radha Ravi in any of their films in the future. “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,” read their tweet.

 

On Monday, DMK suspended Radha Ravi over his sexist remarks on Nayanthara. “Radha Ravi’s comments are unacceptable in DMK which always places women’s rights in the forefront. Party cadre should express without indignity and action will be taken on those who violate,” party president MK Stalin tweeted.