Singer Chinmayi Slams Celebrities Congratulating Vairamuthu, Says Survivors Were Silenced
Singer Chinmayi Sripaada has reacted strongly after superstar Rajinikanth and others congratulated lyricist Vairamuthu for receiving the prestigious Jnanpith Award.
The reaction comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the award, as Chinmayi has been one of the most prominent voices accusing Vairamuthu during the #MeToo movement in 2018.
Rajinikanth took to the social media platform X to congratulate Vairamuthu. In his post, the actor described the lyricist as his “dear friend” and praised him for receiving one of India’s highest literary honours.
“My heartfelt congratulations to my dear friend, the esteemed poet Vairamuthu, recipient of the great Jnanpith Award of our Indian nation,” Rajinikanth wrote.
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Soon after the post went viral, Chinmayi responded with a brief but sharp reaction. She wrote, “Ayyyyyyoooo!!! Puriyave puriyaadha??!”, expressing frustration over the continued public support for the lyricist.
Before reacting to Rajinikanth’s message, Chinmayi had also criticised actor and politician Kamal Haasan for congratulating Vairamuthu on the award.
Kamal Haasan had earlier shared a message praising the poet and describing the honour as “a great honour for Tamil Nadu.” He also recalled a line Vairamuthu once told him — “The sky is a Bodhi tree for me; every day it brings me a message.”
Responding to Kamal Haasan’s post, Chinmayi wrote that powerful men in cinema often ignore the voices of women who speak out about harassment. She said such actions should remind women, voters, that men in positions of power may not stand with survivors.
Chinmayi was among the first public figures to accuse Vairamuthu during the 2018 #MeToo movement. Several other women later made similar allegations against the lyricist.
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In recent posts on X and Instagram Stories, the singer questioned the decision to honour him with the Jnanpith Award despite these allegations.
She wrote that multiple women from different age groups had accused the poet of misconduct in 2018, but their voices were largely ignored.
“Make a note of all the singers who congratulate Vairamuthu today. You’ll know how lonely and shaming it was for me. That is why previous survivors didn’t speak out earlier,” she said in one of her posts.
Chinmayi also referred to earlier controversies involving literary honours. She mentioned that a committee from Kerala had once announced Vairamuthu as the recipient of the ONV Literary Award, but the award was later withdrawn following criticism.
The singer also cited the late writer Jayakanthan, saying his daughter had previously accused Vairamuthu of presenting a forged letter claiming praise from the author.
Tamilians on Twitter here, and their urgency to run to the support of a molester named by 17+ women is the greatest joke.
Murpokku Feminist Tamilnadu will always remain as the only place in the world to FORMALLY BAN a woman from working for just naming a molester. https://t.co/QtUBKF6NuG
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) March 15, 2026
In another post, Chinmayi said she had paid a “heavy personal and professional price” for speaking out.
“I paid a very heavy price. The rest of the women who left their dreams behind weren’t half as lucky as I was. The collective voices of the women who named him were silenced,” she wrote.
