Singer Chinmayi Sripada has been making bold statements in recent times, particularly in the context of the #MeToo wave that struck the entertainment industry in India last year. Chinmayi stirred up a controversy in October last year after she accused veteran Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu of sexual harassment. Several users, many of them anonymous, had come out against Vairamuthu in the wake of the MeToo movement, and Chinmayi endorsed some of those statements.
And now, she said that she will remember to slap Vairamuthu the next time she sees him, and that's probably the only justice she will get. She was responding to a tweet in connection to an incident where actress Kushboo slapped a man for misbehaving with her. A Twitter user had hailed Kushboo's response and also appreciated people like Chinmayi for their brave acts. In a reply, Chinmayi wrote: “Sure. I‘ll remember to slap Mr Vairamuthu if at all I see him next. Looks like that’s the only justice I’ll get. I have the age and the guts now.”
The tweet has been drawing many comments, both that appreciate her stand and also troll her.
After being at the forefront of the MeToo movement in Kollywood, she was also removed from the South Indian Cine and Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union without prior intimation.
In March this year, Chinmayi had tweeted that she has not recorded even one Tamil song since October 2018. Responding to that, music director Govind Vasantha of '96 fame, tweeted that he will continue working with Chinmayi till she says no to him. The tweet was received well by fans, and had gone viral.