Singer Chinmayi Sripada has taken a stand against actor Jiiva following his recent comments about sexual exploitation in the Tamil film industry. Jiiva claimed that such issues are confined to the Malayalam film industry and do not occur in Tamil cinema. Chinmayi challenged this assertion, questioning how Jiiva could make such a statement and expressing her disapproval through social media.
The controversy began a few days ago when Jiiva was questioned about the Hema Committee report at a private event. His initial response was to suggest that questions on this topic should be avoided in a positive event setting. However, when asked again, Jiiva stated that Tamil cinema does not face these problems, implying that such issues are limited to Malayalam cinema. As the questioning continued, Jiiva became agitated, resulting in a heated exchange with journalists before he departed the venue without further comment.
Chinmayi’s criticism comes as she has been a prominent advocate for addressing sexual harassment in the Tamil film industry. In 2018, she made headlines by filing a complaint against lyricist and poet Vairamuthu, accusing him of sexual harassment during a music event in Switzerland. This revelation caused a significant stir in the Tamil cinema and music industries. Subsequently, the South Indian Cine Television Artists and Dubbing Union imposed a ban on Chinmayi. After a five-year hiatus, she made her return to the industry by providing her voice for the film Leo.
