Chinmayi Sripaada slams Kamal Haasan for his silence over her Me Too allegations, reacts to his wrestlers protest tweet

On Wednesday, veteran actor Kamal Haasan, who is busy shoot for his upcoming Tamil film Indian 2, took to Twitter to extend his support for the wrestlers’ protest against the WFI head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. He urged Indians to give attention to those, who need it. Also read: Kamal Haasan tweets about one-month of wrestlers' protest, asks ‘who really deserves our attention’

Quoting Kamal Haasan’s tweet, singer Chinmayi Sripaada asked him where was his support, when she was banned in the music industry after she ‘named her molester’. During the Me Too movement in India, 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.

Kamal tweeted about one-month of wrestlers' protest

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.

He 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’ (sic).”

Chinmayi criticises his 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 (sic).” Chinmayi tweeted in response to Kamal Haasan's tweet.

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 Me Too story after she shared a thread on Twitter 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 had then released a statement denying all allegations, Chinmayi had 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.