Veteran actor and filmmaker R. Parthiban has issued a “wholehearted” apology following a heated social media exchange with actress Trisha Krishnan. The controversy erupted after Parthiban suggested that the actress should be “made to sit at home” to avoid ongoing public scrutiny.
The Spark of the Controversy
The incident took place during an awards ceremony held around International Women’s Day. During a rapid-fire segment, an image of Trisha was displayed on the screen. Referring to her popular character ‘Kundhavai’ from the film Ponniyin Selvan, Parthiban made a comment suggesting she stay at home to “avert any problems.”
The remark was widely perceived as a dig at Trisha’s recent public appearance with superstar Vijay at a wedding reception, which occurred amidst viral rumors regarding Vijay’s personal life and divorce proceedings.
Trisha Hits Back: “Microphone Makes Stupidity Louder”
Trisha did not take the comment lightly and quickly issued a sharp rebuttal on social media. Without naming Parthiban directly, she stated:
“A microphone doesn’t make a comment intelligent or humorous. It just makes stupidity louder. Crude words without knowledge say more about the speaker than the person they’re aimed at.”
Parthiban’s Clarification and Regret
Following the backlash, Parthiban released a statement expressing regret, claiming his words were meant as a rhyming wordplay with the name “Kundhavai” and were not intended to be offensive.
He further explained that he had requested the event organizers to edit out that specific portion, but a privately recorded video was leaked online. “Sometimes inadvertent comments are misunderstood and end up taking center stage,” Parthiban stated, adding that he has always been a supporter of women’s freedom.
Context of the Row
The controversy comes at a sensitive time, as actor Vijay recently broke his silence during a political meeting for his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. Vijay urged his supporters not to worry about “unnecessary rumors,” stating they were “not worth it.”
Despite Parthiban’s apology, the incident has sparked a wider debate on social media regarding the boundaries of humor and the respect due to female professionals in the film industry.
