Vijay Sethupathi breaks silence on sexual abuse, casting couch allegations: 'My family...'
Vijay Sethupathi has broken his silence on the casting couch accusations and told in his statement to Deccan Chronicle journalist Subhash K Jha, 'Anyone who knows me even remotely will laugh at this. I know myself too.'
Sethupathi continued by saying that his family is upset. 'This kind of filthy accusation can't upset me. My family and close friends are upset, but I tell them, 'Let it slide. This woman is obviously doing it to be noticed. She has her few minutes of fame, let her enjoy it', he added.
Sethupathi concluded and made it clear that he intends to pursue the matter legally. He said, 'We've complained to cybercrime. I've faced all kinds of whispering campaigns for seven years. Such targeting has not affected me so far. It never will.' What are the allegations against Vijay Sethupathi?
In the deleted post, user Ramya Mohan alleged actor Vijay Sethupathi is involved in promoting a toxic culture within the film industry. Her post involved words like drugs, manipulation, casting couch practices, and exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
The long-deleted post read:
'Kollywood's drug & casting couch culture isn't a joke. A girl I know now a known face in media was dragged into a world she never signed up for. She's now in rehab center. Dr**, manipulation, and transactional exploitation disguised as industry norm. @VijaySethuOffl has offered Rs. 2L for 'caravan favors', Rs. 50k for 'drives' and acts like saint on social media. She was used by him for years. This isn't one story. It's many and the media worships these men like they are saints. The drug-sx nexus is real. Not a joke.'
The social media user expressed frustration over the lack of empathy from the public in another post. She said, 'It's insane how some insensitive morons are more focused on questioning the source or blaming the victim than actually acknowledging the truth. This truth hit the family like a storm when they went through her diary and phone chats. This wasn't just some story. This was her life, her pain…'
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India Today
34 minutes ago
- India Today
Your harshest words sharpen me: Ajith Kumar to critics after 33 years in cinema
Tamil cinema superstar Ajith Kumar has written a heartfelt statement marking 33 years in the film industry, reflecting on his journey from an outsider with no film legacy to becoming one of South India's most celebrated actors and a Padma Bhushan his thank-you statement, Kumar emphasised that his milestone was not about celebration but gratitude. "As I complete 33 years in this extraordinary journey called cinema, I do not pen this to celebrate. I don't wait for landmark numbers as I believe that each passing year is a landmark year. I thank you all with a full heart and folded hands," he actor, known for his intense performances and dedicated fan following, spoke honestly about his humble beginnings in the industry. "This journey was never easy. I did not come from legacy or influence. I started from the outside, with nothing more than a will to try. Life, in its own way, tested me over and over through injuries, setbacks, failures, and silence. But I never stopped. I endured. I got back up. "And I kept moving forward," he added. Kumar's philosophy on resilience was particularly striking: "Because perseverance is not something I learnt; it's something I lived."Acknowledging the ups and downs of his film career, Kumar credited his fans for their unwavering support during difficult times - "In cinema, I have fallen and risen more times than I can count. And every time I doubted myself, your love lifted me. You stood by me, even when I was out of sight, even when I had nothing to offer but honesty. That kind of faith is rare. And I hold it close, always."Kumar's passion extends beyond cinema to motor racing, where he has faced a completely different set of challenges. Explaining his struggles, he stated, "But my journey did not stop with cinema. In the world of motor racing, I face a very different test. A track doesn't care who you are. It doesn't forgive. It demands respect, focus, and grit. I have crashed. I have bled too. I have been thrown down, humbled, and tested to my core."The actor explained his motivation for continuing in motorsports: "But I kept going, not to own medals or headlines, but to prove to myself that discipline, courage, and pain can co-exist with purpose. I represent a country of valour and the breed of never-say-die attitude."Kumar's recent re-entry into motor racing through Ajith Kumar Racing represents more than just a return to the sport. "In 2025, as I re-entered the motor racing world with Ajith Kumar Racing, it wasn't just a return to the sport. It was a statement to myself and to anyone who ever doubted that age, fear, and obstacles are real, but so is willpower," he statement was filled with extensive gratitude towards various groups who supported his journey. Kumar thanked his fans, saying: "To all my fans, I am not what I am without you. You've turned admiration into acts of kindness-helping others, standing for what's right, and honouring my name with quiet dignity. I see you. I thank you. I will never take your love for granted, and never will I trade your love for my benefit."advertisementHe also acknowledged the film industry professionals who shaped his career: "To the many directors, writers, technicians, and actors who shaped my path, you guided me, trusted me, and helped me grow. I also thank my producers, distributors and exhibitors for extending their support to me."Kumar expressed deep gratitude for receiving the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, and said, "I thank the President of India Madam Droupadi Murmu, the honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and the Government of India for conferring me the prestigious Padma Bhushan award. I am determined enough to offer my best to bring respect to this honour."He also thanked political leaders, the media, and even his critics: "To the critics, even your harshest words sharpened me."The actor shared special thanks to his family, particularly his wife Shalini and children Anoushka and Aadvik. "To Shalini, my wife, the pillar of my life, you have stood with me through everything. My kids, Anoushka, and Aadvik who bring meaning to every day-you are my balance and my reason."advertisementHe also honoured his parents: "I am grateful to my father, the late P. S. Mani, and my mother, Mohini Mani, for an upbringing that reflects in every social respect I gain today."Concluding his statement, Kumar emphasised his continued commitment to both his career and his gratitude to fans. "I may not always be visible. I may not always speak. But I am always grateful. And I will always give everything I have-on screen, on the track, and in life," he added."For 33 years, you've accepted me, flaws and all. Thank you for the faith, the silence, the applause, the patience, and the love. I try to be true to myself and to you. As I pursue my motor racing career with grit and passion, I solicit the prayers and wishes from all, I hope I will make you and our nation proud," he concluded his statement ended with his characteristic philosophy: "Live and let live."On the work front, Ajith Kumar was last seen in director Adhik Ravichandran's 'Good Bad Ugly', which is one of the highest-grossing films of 2025. According to reports, his next film is also with Adhik Ravichandran.- EndsMust Watch
India Today
34 minutes ago
- India Today
From the India Today archives (1988)
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated July 31, 1988)He is not handsome by conventional standards. He is short, dark and can easily be ignored in a crowd. But for all that, he is the undisputed superstar of the South, a man whose name spells box-office magic, the Midas of the eight long years, Rajinikanth has occupied the number one slot in south Indian films. Now, 115 films and almost as many hits later, he has reached a stage where he can choose his roles and, more significantly, restrict himself to four Tamil films a year. The remaining time is spent in Bombay acting in Hindi the late M.G. Ramachandran could compete with that phenomenal box-office record. But Rajinikanth is also the hero from the South—which has traditionally produced leading ladies for the Hindi screen—who has survived in the competitive world of Bombay films. Next month, Rajinikanth's first English movie, Bloodstone, in which he plays a taxi-driver, will hit the screen in 1,500 theatres all over the US. Shot mainly in Bangalore, the action packed entertainer has been co-produced by Amritraj Productions and the NRI Metro Film Corporation, owned by Dr Murali Manohar, a film film is about an American couple on a visit to India who get involved with a gang of smugglers. Rajinikanth, a local taxi-driver, comes to their aid. Made at a cost of one million dollars (Rs 1.30 crore) the film will be distributed worldwide by Columbia film fits in perfectly with the superstar's designs for the future. "I have reached a dead-end as far as Tamil films are concerned. Through Hindi movies, I have got a national image. What I want today is worldwide recognition," says Rajinikanth. In any event, by 1990, he plans to take a break from Tamil films and start directing his own even his most ardent fans believe that Rajinikanth's real talent lies in Tamil films which have made him what he is today. He is the only Tamil hero whose films are sold even before shooting starts. He is reported to get Rs 25 lakh per film, the highest paid to any hero in the Manithan (human being) released last Diwali is a box-office success, while his latest Guru Shishiya (master-pupil) is drawing packed houses. Says G. Venkateswarao, producer, distributor and president of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce: "He is a goldmine for producers and distributors."No wonder producers form an endless queue outside his door. The average cost of making a Rajinikanth film in Tamil is around Rs 70 lakh. But the film is sold by the producer to the distributor for over Rs 1 crore. A super-successful Rajinikanth film can do business for over Rs 2 crore. Some producers are even buying and dubbing some of his earlier, run-of-the-mill Hindi films into Tamil. Last week, yet another Hindi film of his, Asli Naqli, was dubbed into Tamil as Njane Valabhan. What then is the secret of the success of a man who rose from an ordinary bus conductor to be a megastar? In one word, charisma, Rajinikanth has a screen presence which is awe inspiring. In the Tamil context, his exaggerated swagger and his trademark gimmicks like tossing a cigarette in the air and catching it in his lips have made him a household Mani, an auto-driver who has seen Guru Shishya four times: "Rajani saar is my hero. All his films may look alike but his style is terrific." In Tamil Nadu, millions of children not only imitate the 'Rajani style' but also make him out to be a superman. Says AVM's Saravanan, the biggest producer in the South: "There is no need of a story in his films. There should be a chance for him to do comedy, drama and action. His screen presence and powerful delivery make him a bearer cheque of a crore rupees for producers."advertisementBut Rajinikanth the man is even more appealing to his fans than the star. There has always been a reckless and defiant quality about him that provided, during his early years of stardom, unending grist for the gossip mill. His personal life was embellished by widely-publicised drinking bouts and public brawls. His favourite targets were film journalists who wrote about his "eccentric" lifestyle. In at least one case, he tried to kill a journalist by driving a car straight at him. There were also stories of how he wrecked a five-star hotel's restaurant in in 1981, he had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalised. After that he cut down his film assignments, the next year quietly married Latha, a local college girl, and settled down. Recalls the star: "I could not cope with the pressures of stardom. A few years earlier I was making Rs 320 as a conductor and suddenly I was getting Rs 5 lakh per movie. The fame, money and overwork pushed me to a breaking point."Then followed his spiritual phase from 1986 onwards when he became a devotee of Raghavendra Swami (the Madhwa saint). He even acted in the movie Raghavendra, where he almost made the saint a cult figure. He also became an admirer of the Hare Krishna (ISKON) group, and talked about wanting to take up sanyas. His marriage according to film magazines, was then on the rocks, due to his involvement with all this only added to the mystique. Says Sujatha, a Madras housewife: "It's his personal life that makes him interesting. Everybody has a soft corner for him, mainly due to his background." The common man can identify with Rajinikanth's rags to riches story—one reason why his films do well in Rajinikanth does not have a Tamil background. He was born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, a Maharashtrian, and spent his childhood at Basvangudi, a lower middle class suburb in Bangalore. His mother died when he was eight. His father and brother never cared for him and he took to the streets. He studied up to the pre-university stage. Poverty forced him to do all manner of odd jobs—he even worked as a coolie in 1973 he landed a job as a bus conductor with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. Three years later, bit by the acting bug, he hopped on a train to Madras where he joined a film acting course run by the South Indian Film Chamber. It was here that director K. Balachandar spotted changed his name from Sivaji Rao to Rajinikanth and gave him a break in Apoorva Raagangal (strange melodies) in a villain's role. His next film was Moondru Mudichu (three knots) where he was again a villain, but with innovative mannerisms. Says Balachandar: "Rajani was the first actor I met who insisted that he be taken as a villain. He was a unique villain, with specialised mannerisms that went down well with the masses."But it was Bharati Raaja's 16 Vayadhinile (16 years of age)—released in 1977—which earned him super stardom. The movie also catapulted into fame its hero Kamalahasan and heroine Sridevi. It was as an anti-hero that "the Rajani style" created waves at the box-office. But stardom also meant switching roles from villain to hero, which he did successfully in Dharmayudham, a major next big role was in K. Balaji's Billa, a Tamil remake of Amitabh Bachchan's Don that saw him overtaking Kamalahasan as the number one star in the South. Says Bharati Raaja: "Kamalahasan is a great artiste, but Rajinikanth is the hero of the masses. Since 16 Vayadhinile, I have made many award winning movies which bombed in the box-office. To cover my losses I am forced to make a Rajani film."But the tragedy is that the megastar is in reality lonely and aloof. A mellowed man, he is wary of the press. He does not have any close friends and even on the sets, keeps to himself. Apart from shooting assignments, he rarely moves out of his simply-furnished three-bed roomed house at Poes Garden, a posh locality in Rajinikanth: "I am a simple man. I don't believe that just because you are a star you should have imported things." He drives himself to work in a 1980 model Premier Padmini. He had built himself a huge house at Velacheri, a suburb of Madras, but only stayed there a week before shifting back to Poes Latha, his plump and homely wife: "He is a changed man, a spiritual person in quest of the truth. He is almost like a son to me, and I am a mother figure for him." Latha says the press has exaggerated the stories regarding their differences. The Rajinikanths have two daughters—Aiswarya, six, and Soundarya, three. Says Rajani: "We hardly socialise and generally keep to ourselves." He describes himself as a man in pursuit of spiritual solace who reads many books on philosophy. He has invested the bulk of his earnings in real estate and is constructing a Rs 1 crore marriage hall in co-stars have only admiration for him. Says Radha, a popular Tamil heroine: "He is not only a great box-office draw but also a fine person." Adds producer Saravanan: "He is very disciplined on the sets and a producer's dream."Rajinikanth today will not touch a movie which will go against his image on the screen. He has also been criticised for taking minor roles in Hindi films. But the superstar is unfazed. "I cannot do more than four Tamil films a year otherwise I will be overexposed. Hindi films give me a national audience...I am an alcoholic but at the same time a workaholic."With the kind of hysteria he generates, it is inevitable that the star would be avidly sought after by every political party in the state. But he has made it clear that politics is not his cup of tea. "I hate the prevailing political climate. I will never be identified with any political party." Having achieved stardom at home—at last count, there were 8,000 Rajinikanth fan clubs in Tamil Nadu—he is now seeking international recognition. Apart from Bloodstone, Rajinikanth is to star in a thriller to be shot in Australia by Mani Retnam, the director of Nayakan, that won Kamalahasan the best actor he is convinced that he should quit while he is ahead. Says he: "By 1990, I want to quit. The thrill of being a star is fading out." Rajinikanth, however, has a reputation of being moody and unpredictable. Something that hundreds of producers are banking on, determined as they are to ensure that the goose does not stop laying its golden to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
News18
43 minutes ago
- News18
Shah Rukh Khan Thanks Allu Arjun, Mohanlal, Atlee For Their Wishes After National Award Win
Shah Rukh Khan, who won his first-ever National Film Award for Jawan, warmly responded to congratulatory messages from Atlee, Mohanlal, Allu Arjun, AR Rahman and Juhi Chawla. Shah Rukh Khan recently won his first-ever National Film Award, marking a major milestone in his 33-year acting career. He won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his remarkable performance in Atlee's Jawan. Soon after the winners' announcement, social media was flooded with heartfelt wishes celebrating King Khan's win. Celebrities such as Allu Arjun, AR Rahman, Mohanlal, Juhi Chawla, Kamal Haasan, and many others congratulated SRK. Now, Shah Rukh Khan has responded to the messages, warmly reciprocating the love he received from the industry. On Sunday, Shah Rukh Khan reacted to Pushpa 2 star Allu Arjun's congratulatory message for him on X (formerly Twitter). He wote, 'Thanks @alluarjun garu for your kind words. Your strength, grace and fire (not flower… ha ha) continue to inspire. Love u!!" Allu Arjun had congratulated him by writing, 'Heartiest congratulations to @iamsrk garu on winning the prestigious National Film Award for Best Actor for #Jawan. A well-deserved honour after 33 glorious years in cinema. An another achievement to your endless list sir." Thanks @alluarjun garu for your kind words. Your strength, grace and fire (not flower… ha ha) continue to inspire. Love u!! — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 3, 2025 Meanwhile, SRK also thanked Mohanlal for his message, and expressed his wish to meet the Malayalam superstar. 'Thank you @Mohanlal sir… let's take an evening off and meet up. Big hugs," he wrote. Thank you @Mohanlal sir… let's take an evening off and meet up. Big hugs. — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 3, 2025 Kamal Haasan, who shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in the 2000 film Hey Ram, wrote that Shah Rukh's National Film Award was 'long overdue.' In response, SRK wrote, 'Means a lot coming from you @ikamalhaasan sir. You have been a true inspiration… thank you for the years of cinema, art and vision… and the next ones to come! Love u always." Meanwhile, King Khan also responded to Jawan director Atlee's emotional note celebrating his win, and wrote, 'MAAASSS MAAASSS MAASSS…. Thank you for your vision. Only you could do this… In the next song, we will do more steps. Love u…" Means a lot coming from you @ikamalhaasan sir. You have been a true inspiration… thank you for the years of cinema, art and vision… and the next ones to come! Love u always. — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 3, 2025 MAAASSS MAAASSS MAASSS….Thank you for your vision. Only you could do this… In the next song, we will do more steps. Love u… — Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 3, 2025 Music maestro AR Rahman called Shah Rukh Khan a 'legend', to which he responded with, 'Thank u maestro!!! You are legend multiplied… love always!!" SRK's close friend Viveck Vaswani wrote, 'Congratulations @iamsrk on the National Award! Very late but very very deserving!" Shah Rukh's humble and witty reply to him read, 'Thank u for the wishes. All started with you. Raju finally ban gaya gentleman." Shah Rukh Khan also responded to his friend and actress Juhi Chawla's congratulatory message. 'Thank u @iam_juhi … I've learned from the best. you have been an integral part of my journey. Big hugs!!" he wrote. Meanwhile, reacting to Riteish Deshmukh's message, SRK wrote, 'Thank u my friend @Riteishd… will always try to entertain everyone through my films the way you do too. Sending you and Genelia big hugs." The winners of the 71st National Film Awards were announced on Friday. Vikrant Massey and Shah Rukh Khan were awarded Best Actor for their critically acclaimed performances in '12th Fail' and 'Jawan', respectively. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
