Days after Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi claimed that the casting couch does not exist and further stated that if a person faced bitter experiences, their personal choices and situations may have also contributed to it, noted singer and voice actor Chinmayi stepped forward to categorically dismiss his statement as false, asserting that there are men who “believe they are entitled to sexual favours from women.” She also went on to list certain real-life incidents, including the assault she allegedly faced at the hands of lyricist-poet Vairamuthu, to assert that such crimes happened not because the survivors were “asking for it.”
Chinmayi further shared her opinion on why stars like Chiranjeevi may believe otherwise. Stating that the casting couch is “rampant” in show business, she maintained that women are refused roles if they aren’t willing to offer “full commitment,” which, she said, is a widely used euphemism in the film industry for sexual favours. In a long post on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “Men remain in positions where they believe they are entitled to, and will demand and expect sexual favours from women.”
(Trigger warning: The following paragraphs contain description of sexual assault) Recalling a real-life incident, Chinmayi revealed that a perpetrator associated with the film industry once “attempted to sexually assault a female musician in a studio.” Mentioning that the victim locked herself in the sound booth for safety, Chinmayi said she was eventually saved by another senior professional. “She quit that space after that,” the singer stated. She further cited another incident where a male singer misbehaved with and cyberflashed women.
Directly addressing the Telugu megastar’s statement, she said, “Legendary Chiranjeevi garu comes from a generation where they all were friends or even family friends with their female co-artistes, mutually respected each other, worked with legends, and they are all legends themselves. The MeToo movement was something a whole generation of people couldn’t comprehend, with ladies like Sowcar Janaki even insulting women who outed their molesters.”
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She also refuted Chiranjeevi’s claim that the film industry serves as a mirror reflecting one’s character and attitude. “I didn’t get molested by Vairamuthu because I was asking for it. I was barely an adult out of my teens. I respected him as a mentor, legendary lyricist — and didn’t think he was an unsafe older man. My mother was literally in the same premises — he molested me anyway. Having a parent around also changes nothing with men like this. Men believing they are owed sex in return for giving work are the problem,” Chinmayi added.
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Chiranjeevi’s controversial statement
Chiranjeevi made the controversial comments during a special event organised by the makers of his latest outing, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, in Hyderabad on January 25, celebrating the movie’s success. “This is a great industry. If some people could not make it, or some say that there are negative people, or someone says that they had faced bitter experiences, I believe it is because of your fault,” the Telugu megastar said.
Casting couch is rampant, women are refused roles if they don’t offer ‘full commitment’ – a word that means completely different in the film industry.
If you come from an English educated background and believe ‘commitment’ means ‘professionalism’, showing up to work and being…
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) January 26, 2026
He added, “If you are strict and serious, no one would take advantage of you. There won’t be any casting couch. It depends on your behaviour. Because of your insecurity, you might think, ‘oh maybe this is how we should behave’. You behave professionally, and the opposite person responds in the same way. This industry is like a mirror. Whatever you show, it projects it back.”
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