Netizens turn back time to rekindle Simran-Jyotika feud, but do they really deserve all of this?

Indian Express

21-04-2025

In the film industry, beyond all the glitz and glamour, fame and fortunes, there is something called timing and tricks of the trade. With social media being the hotbed of conversations about cinema, there is no place for nuance in debates and the exchange of opinions. Recently, a video of actor Simran, who was recently seen in Ajith Kumar's Good Bad Ugly, speaking at an awards night sparked controversy and has been a topic of debate over the past few days.
At the event, Simran said, 'I recently texted a co-actor that I was surprised to see her play a specific role in a film. And she just responded by saying she was better off playing such roles instead of being seen in the role of an aunty.' Expressing her disdain over the perceived shutdown by the co-star, Simran said, 'It was such an insensitive message. I felt I could have gotten a better answer.'
The Gulmohar actor also pointed out that it is better to do aunty roles, and play a mother of a 25-year-old or something. 'I have played an aunty, a mother of a daughter in Kannathil Muthamittaal (Simran was 26). Playing such roles is better than playing dabba roles and doing nothing. We should feel confident in what we all want to do,' said a rather fiery Simran at the event.
Doing Aunty role is better than doing Dabba role 🔥💯 – @SimranbaggaOffc
Title Sponsor – Twin Birds
Powered By – Chandrika Ayurvedic Soap
Co-presented by – Finesse Fine Mattresses #jfwmovieawards2025 pic.twitter.com/pNPyF7d0k3
— JFW (@jfwdigital) April 21, 2025
Well, the action was done here. She didn't mention the co-star in question, the film she saw, or if it was a contemporary or an actual co-star in one of her films. But yeah, the action was done.
What followed was a reflection of the kind of amusement that social media offers for people interested in the same. We have heard of conspiracy theorists in the West, and it is kind of a shame that most of the conspiracies closer to us seems to revolve around the world of cinema. Our world needs a better breed of conspiracy theorists, for sure, but we are digressing here. Once the action was made, social media was abuzz with possible names that Simran might have been talking about, and all fingers pointed at just one name… Jyotika.
From the late nineties to the mid 2000s, Simran and Jyotika were part of a media-hyped rivalry that pitted them against each other. Just like how there were fans and followers for the male superstars like Rajinikanth - Kamal Haasan, and Ajith Kumar-Vijay, a similar situation was present between Jyotika-Simran too. However, over the years, we have seen them speak warmly about each other, and seen in various interviews where they opened up about how they weren't friends, but there was immense respect between each other.
Both Jyotika and Simran were non-Tamil actors who became huge superstars in South cinema before taking a sabbatical from cinema to concentrate on their marriage and personal lives. Since their return, both have had an interesting lineup of films, not just in Tamil, but in other languages like Malayalam and Hindi too.
Nevertheless, when Simran's speech started to go viral, people started connecting it to Jyotika, also because they thought the former's words about a 'dabba' role referred to the latter's Netflix series, Dabba Cartel. Then, there were other speculations that Simran's words alluded to her Sabdham co-star Laila, who was one of the contemporaries of Simran and Jyotika in the 2000s. But that's the thing, all of these were just speculations. However, that was enough for trolls to take over the narrative. Jyotika was at the receiving end of incessant trolling about her choices, and questions were raised about the same. Even though Simran was heralded for bringing forth the topic of dignity for all characters, it is clear that many supported her just because they could shoot off her shoulder. She also faced backlash for making a private conversation public just to prove a point of sorts. But the focus was firmly on Jyotika.
Images from the Netflix show, which revolved around a group of women indulging in drug trade, started being shared online, and was pointed out as the reason for Simran's perceived grouse. Even earlier, images from the series where Jyotika is seen smoking were being circulated to shame her choices.
A scene from Dabba Cartel where Jyotika is seen smoking.
For a while now, Jyotika has been at the receiving end of targetted trolling, and is constantly under scrutiny for her filmography. In fact, she is more under the scanner now than she was ever during the peak of her career, which saw her share screen space with every top star of Tamil cinema, including Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith, and Vijay. If her opinion about spending money on schools and education instead of religious institutions ruffled a few feathers, her words on how South cinema doesn't offer enough for women actors took care of the rest of the feathers. And when she defended Suriya's Kanguva, and spoke about how there were far worse films that received much nicer treatment from critics and audiences alike, she had a target on the back.
And one of the easiest ways to put someone down is to elevate someone else, and that is what has been happening in the case of Jyotika, for a while now. Is all her opinions cent percent right? Of course, not. But does she hold the right to have that opinion? Absolutely. However, it also means that these opinions can be put under the scanner and dissected beyond comprehension to not just prove a point, but also, many a time, just out of spite.
Even when Suriya's films don't create the expected impact on the box office and the public psyche, there are sections who pin the blame on Jyotika, and her feminist convictions. And of course, as has been the case from time immemorial, it is easier to blame the woman for a man's choices, especially when here's a man who is one of the most powerful voices in Indian cinema. But Jyotika has continued to brave through these tirades, and is making a mark for herself all over again in the world of OTT and Hindi cinema, which launched her all those years back in 1998.
Jyotika has often spoken about facing casual sexism and misogyny even after all these years of being a successful actor-filmmaker.
Also, not many were in favour of Jyotika shifting base to Mumbai, and working from there when her entire name and fame was centred around the work she did in Tamil. In fact, Jyotika hasn't starred in a Tamil film since Udanpirappe (2021), and hasn't had a theatrical release in Tamil since Thambi (2019). However, as a producer, she has backed projects like Meiyazhagan, and even the upcoming Suriya -starrer Retro. Nevertheless, the dice has been rolled against Jyotika for a while now, and till now, she has been largely silent barring an occasional clapback here and there, which again, puts her back in the centre of the trolling circle.
Even when there were people who pointed out that Simran's words wasn't directed at Jyotika, the trolling didn't stop because that is the nature of the social media juggernaut. You can only control the actions. The reactions will continue till the next controversy breaks out, and that forever-rolling juggernaut shifts tracks. Till then… Well, that is the price of glitz and glamour, fame and fortunes, and the sheer timing of it all.