Vijay Sethupathi had welcomed the Supreme Court verdict permitting the entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple. He had called it “a welcome change’.
In a recent media on the sets of Seenu Ramasamy’s Maamanithan shoot at Alappuzha, he had stated that he was a “big fan” of the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan while stressing again on how happy he was at women’s entry into the temple. This has landed him in controversy.
The actor had reportedly said, “The Chief Minister is right on Sabarimala issue. I don’t understand why there’s such uproar about it. Women have to bear certain pain every month. We all know why it happens and it is a holy thing, thanks to which we are all here. It is much easier to be a man and people should understand it.”
But the SC verdict had literally split the state of Kerala on religious and political grounds with several devotees and pro Hindu outfits holding dharnas and marches in different parts of the state expressing their displeasure. And so his comments did not go down well with certain segments in the state and he has been viciously trolled on social media.
A few organisations have also called for a ban on his films in Kerala, a state in which he enjoys a big fan base. While that sounds extreme and unlikely to happen, many people have asked the actor to just stick to his acting business and not interfere in matters he is not familiar with.
A user on his FB post with hash tags #shameonyou and #savesabarimala commented, “Before expressing your views on Sabarimala issue, find some time to study about the history and beliefs of the temple. Majority of Keralites are hating our Hitler CM Pinarayi Vijayan for the Sabarimala issue.”
Another user asked VS to know about the folklore of Lord Ayyappa and our culture and beliefs before commenting on the issue. “Please don’t interfere and say unwanted views.”
A few others have supported the Vikram Vedhaactor for his radical approach. Using hash tags #Respectvijaysethupathi #Welovevijaysethupathi and #We supportvijaysethupathi. “First, he earned our respect through his acting, then he earned our respect through his stand on the Sabarimala issue,” they said. “He is someone who came from the lower strata of the society. Respect to our Makkal Selvan for upholding progressive values and for accepting the laws of the highest court of the country,” posted a user.
VSP is currently busy with films like Super Deluxe, his Telugu debut Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy and many under-production films like Thuglak . He is all set to to make his Mollywood foray with the Jayaram film Marconi Mathai.
