Vijay Sethupathi has broken his silence on the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by a person on social media. The actor, best known for films like ‘Jawan’, ‘Maharaja’, ‘Viduthalai’, ‘Super Deluxe’, said the woman making the allegations is “doing it to get public eye”. Describing the allegations as “dirty”, Vijay said he has lodged a complaint with the cyber crime cell and asserted that the accuser is a “jealous element” who is trying to damage his reputation ahead of the release of his new film ‘Thalaivan Thalaivi’. He added that no one who knows him would believe the ‘drug-sex nexus’ allegations.
Denying the allegations, he told Deccan Chronicle, “Anyone who knows me even a little will laugh at this. I know myself too. Such cheap allegations cannot bother me. My family and close friends are upset, but I tell them, ‘Let it go. This woman is obviously doing this to seek attention. She has a few minutes of fame, let her enjoy it.'”
Vijay further said that his legal team is already working on the case, and said, “We have filed a complaint with cyber crime.” He added that he has faced many hurdles before and has come out unscathed. He said, “I have faced all kinds of whisper campaigns for seven years. This kind of targeting has not affected me till now. It never will.”
Vijay insisted that he is being targeted because his recent film, Thalaivan Thalaivi, which also stars Nithya Menen, is “doing well”. He said, “My new film is doing well. Maybe some jealous people think they can harm my film by defaming me. It doesn’t happen like that. In today’s world, anyone can say anything about anyone. There is no restriction. All you need is an account on social media and you can write whatever you want without any fear.”
The controversy started when a user named Ramya Mohan went on X and accused Vijay of sexual misconduct. She wrote, “@VijaySethuOffl has offered Rs 2 lakh for ‘Caravan Favour’ and Rs 50 thousand for ‘Drive’ and behaves like a saint on social media.” He further added, “This is not one story. There are many stories, and the media worships these people like they are saints. The drug-sex nexus is real. Not a joke.” She also added, “Kollywood’s drug and casting couch culture is no joke. A girl I know now, a known face in the media, was dragged into a world she never imagined. She is now in a rehab centre. Drugs, manipulation and transactional exploitation have been projected as the ‘industry norm’.” The post has now been deleted.
