Veteran Tamil actor Radha Ravi has been slammed severely for his derogatory and misogynistic comments against actor Nayanthara at the trailer launch of the film 'Kolaiyuthir Kaalam.' His party, the DMK, has also suspended him citing "indiscipline."
Nadigar Sangam general secretary and Tamil Film Producers Council President, Vishal slammed actor. He asked him to eliminate 'Radha' from his name as Radha is a woman's name and his comments don't go with his name.
Actress Chinmayi and many other women have accused Radha Ravi of sexual harassment, but no action has been taken against him.
Radha Ravi said, "Nayanthara is a star now and she's hailed as Lady Superstar. Some even compared her to Puratchi Thalaivar MGR and Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan. They're immortals and it is disheartening to see people include Nayanthara in the list. I agree that Nayanthara is a good actress and she is sustaining in the industry for several years. There have been several reports about her, yet she stands tall. Tamil Nadu people remember anything only for four days, then they forget. Now, she is a known face. She can act as a ghost and as Goddess Sita as well. Back in those days, if filmmakers have a Goddess character in the film, they'd go for veteran actress KR Vijaya. But now, anybody can play the role. Paatha udane kumbudravangalayum podalam, paatha udane koopadravangalyum podalam (Nowadays, you can cast actresses who look respectable in such roles and you can also cast women, who look 'enticing', in such roles)."
Nayantara has acted with top South Indian stars including Rajinikanth, Vijay and Ajith Kumar. She is also known for featuring in women-centric movies like 'Aram' and 'Kolamavu Kokila.'
She had also starred with Telugu star Balakrishna as Seetha in 'Sri Ramarajyam,' a reel depiction of The Ramayana. Nayanthara was neither present at the event, nor did she know such an event was being conducted, according to her partner and director Vignesh Shivn.
KJR Studios, the producers of Airaa, another upcoming Nayanthara film, have planned to boycott Radha Ravi saying that they won't work with him and they also urged other producers to do the same.
DMK party leader MK Stalin reprehended him and removed him from the party for his derogatory remarks.
DMK Chief MK Stalin also called the comment unacceptable and assured that action will be taken against him. "Radha Ravi's comments are unacceptable in DMK which puts women's rights in the forefront. Party cadre should express without indignity and action will be taken on those who violate," Mr Stalin tweeted.
Reaction on Twitter
A lot of people from the film fraternity took to Twitter to criticise the veteran actor for his remarks. Actor Taapsee Pannu famous for films like Aadukalam and Pink tweeted her disbelief at the statement made by Radha Ravi. “This is disgusting beyond words. Who asked him about casting prerequisites and is he the president of character certificate association? This comes for one of the strongest actresses of the industry, I can only wonder what he might have to say about others, ” she wrote.
Nayanthara's partner and director Vignesh Shivn also condemned Radha Ravi's comments in several tweets.
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