Tamil actor Vishal has defended the detention of Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin over his alleged derogatory remarks about actor Trisha Krishnan. Vishal has said that similar action should be taken against everyone who makes inappropriate comments about women in the film industry.
On Saturday, speaking to ANI, Vishal said such incidents can happen in politics, but stressed that the same standard should apply to others who make remarks against women. He said, “These kinds of incidents do happen in political scenarios. So I wish that whatever happened to Uday, the same kind of punishment happens to everyone who speaks ill about women in our fraternity.”
Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, was detained and eventually released after questioning by police for about an hour at Sengipatti Police Station in Thanjavur district earlier this month. His detention came after protests over his alleged remarks against actor Trisha during a Cauvery rights demonstration.
The controversy began when Udhayanidhi was addressing a gathering during a Cauvery protest and some people in the crowd reportedly started chanting "Trisha, Trisha". He allegedly responded with a double-entendre remark before saying that he was referring to Cauvery water.
Following the remarks, the women's wing of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) lodged a complaint with the Thanjavur Police, alleging that the DMK leader had made a double-entendre remark targeting actor Trisha. The DMK, however, has maintained that Udhayanidhi's remarks were misrepresented and were directed at the government's functioning, not at any individual.
Trisha has worked with the new Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay in numerous films over 20 years and maintains a good rapport with him. The actor has maintained silence over the controversy, choosing not to address it. However, the detention did create a political furore in Tamil Nadu, with many defending it while others calling it political vendetta by the TVK.