She’s like my daughter: Director Bala denies hitting Mamitha Baiju on set

Tamil director Bala has addressed the allegations claiming he hit actress Mamitha Baiju on the sets of 'Vanangaan'. Clarifying the incident, Bala stated that he never hit Mamitha but merely raised his hand in a gesture that may have been misunderstood. He emphasised that Mamitha is like a daughter to him and asserted that he never mistreated her. Bala shared these remarks during an interview with Galatta Tamil.

Explaining the situation, Bala said, “Mamitha is like my daughter. Would I ever hit her? Who would hit a young girl? She is just a kid. I don’t like unnecessary makeup. On that day, a makeup artist from Bombay was working on the set. Mamitha didn’t have a scene to shoot and was sitting idle. The makeup artist gave her a touch-up without knowing that I don’t prefer makeup, and Mamitha didn’t mention this to them either. When she came ready for the shot with makeup on, I gestured as if to hit, asking who had applied it. This was misinterpreted when the news broke. That’s the truth of what happened.”

Bala also clarified the reasons behind Mamitha’s departure from the project, stating it wasn’t due to personal issues. “After Suriya stepped away from the film, Mamitha also left. Suriya’s departure wasn’t due to personal differences but because of changes in the script. Mamitha had worked on the film for around 40 days. However, when we decided to reshoot portions, she had commitments with other projects and had to back out,” he explained.

Earlier, Mamitha herself denied reports of Bala mistreating her, asserting that her comments had been distorted by the media. The controversy arose after she mentioned an incident on set where Bala appeared upset, which was later exaggerated in reports.
Following the exit of Suriya and Mamitha, 'Vanangaan' now features Arun Vijay and Roshni Prakash in the lead roles. Directed and co-produced by Bala, the film is scheduled for a theatrical release on January 10.