Kamal Haasan took to Twitter last week to extend his support for the wrestlers’ protest against WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He urged Indians to give attention to those who need it. Wrestlers such as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and others have been protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by female athletes.
Rendering his support, Kamal wrote, “Today marks 1 month of protests by athletes of the wrestling fraternity. Instead of fighting for national glory, we have forced them to fight for personal safety. Fellow Indians, who deserves our attention, our national sporting icons or a politician with an extensive criminal history? I stand with my champions. Wrestlers protest’.”
The tweet, however, did not go down well with Chinmayi Sripaada, who asked him where his support was when she was banned from the movie industry after she “named her molester.” During the MeToo era, the singer had alleged that Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu sexually harassed her on work trips and threatened to end her career when she didn’t respond.
Chinmayi responded to Haasan’s tweet, “5 years of a singer in Tamil Nadu being banned for naming a molester right in front of their eyes and not a pip about it since the poettu has their respect. How does one trust politicians who speak for women’s safety while they ignore harassment right under their noses? Just. Asking. Now while my timeline will blow up with abuse, shouting and yelling imma gonna exit. Buhbye.”
She further tweeted, “Needless to say there is soooo much anger. So many Kamal Haasan supporters ask me the same survivor-shaming questions that those opposing our Indian wrestlers have said. The playbook to shame women who name powerful molesters is the exact same… I had all the right to question an actor, who is now a politician to clean up the yard he artistically ruled and it make the space safer for women like me to speak up. Not be incarcerated for it. It was a simple ask. My case has been going on and on and on since November 2018 with multiple people from the Film Industry shaming me for speaking up…”
In 2018, Chinmayi was one of the first women from the film industry to open up about her MeToo story after sharing a Twitter thread about the sexual abuse she faced over the years. She called out lyricist Vairamuthu for sexually harassing her, when the two were in Switzerland for a concert titled Veezhamattom in 2005. Vairamuthu then released a statement denying all allegations. Chinmayi then reacted by calling him a liar.
Following her allegations on Vairamuthu, Chinmayi was axed from the South Indian Cine, Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union. Her ban is yet to be revoked.