Chinmayi’s criticism came after both actors publicly congratulated Vairamuthu on the honour. Rajinikanth wrote in Tamil, “My heartfelt congratulations to my dear friend, the esteemed poet Vairamuthu, recipient of the great Jnanpith Award of our Indian nation. @Vairamuthu #JnanpithAward,” to which Chinmayi responded, “Ayyyyyyoooo!!! Puriyave puriyaadha (what a puzzle)??!” Kamal Haasan also praised the lyricist in a message that read, “Tamil literature, with its long tradition, has received the prestigious literary award, the Jnanpith, for the third time. After the previous Jnanpith received by Jayakanthan, after the passage of a quarter century, my uncle poet-emperor @Vairamuthu has added this great honor to Tamil. With the poetic words “The sky is a Bodhi tree for me; every day it gives me a message,” which fell into my ears, entered my heart, and mingled in friendship, I take pride in congratulating this friend.”
Chinmayi responded sharply: “For God’s sake. P.S.: Men in such power in cinema transitioning to politics completely turning a deaf ear to women who come on record to say they were molested by “his uncle-mentor” must remind women who vote – that men will never be on our side. The weirdest thing – one of the women in his own party publicly named the Poet. End of the day, men WILL stand by their bros, uncles, dads, friends, mentors. Who cares if multiple women were traumatised?”
As the debate continues to unfold online, neither Rajinikanth nor Kamal Haasan has publicly responded to Chinmayi’s remarks.
Disclaimer: “If you know someone who is abused, having anxiety, going through depression, or is suffering from a serious mental illness, reach out to a nearby doctor, mental health expert, or an NGO for immediate help. There are several helplines available for the same.”
