Samantha Voices Support For Singer Chinmayi, Urges To Lift 8-Year-Long Shadow Ban

Samantha Ruth Prabhu has also come forward in support of Chinmayi Sripada, following the viral success of the singer’s performance at the launch event of Thug Life’s song.

Samantha took to social media to appreciate Chinmayi’s singing talent and raised questions about the ongoing shadow ban that the singer has faced for the past eight years.

In a video shared by Samantha, Chinmayi can be seen singing her version of the song Muththa Mazhai from Thug Life, starring Kamal Haasan in the lead. While the original Tamil version was sung by Dhee for the movie Thug Life, Chinmayi lent her voice to the Telugu and Hindi versions of the track.

Samantha shared the clip on her Instagram story with a caption that read, “Is this the voice that has been banned since 2018? Muththa Mazhai – Chinmayi version. Bring Back Chinmayi.”

In 2018, Chinmayi was removed from the South Indian Cine, Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union (SICTADAU). This happened after she spoke out in support of women who accused the union’s then-president, actor-politician Radha Ravi, of sexual harassment. She also showed support for women involved in the Hema Committee report.

Chinmayi is well-known for speaking up about MeToo cases in the film industry. In an interview with India Today, she praised the efforts of the Hema Committee team and the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). She said, “The most important thing I want to mention here is that hats off to WCC. They came together to do something important. It has not been done in any other industry so far. Everyone is aware of these open secrets in all the industries. We are talking about sexual harassment and sexual abuse, and the abuse of power in multiple other industries.”

Chinmayi had accused lyricist Vairamuthu of sexual misconduct and she is not alone as almost 20 women made serious accusations against him. Chinmayi also criticised the award-winning lyricist when he suggested setting up committees like the Hema Committee all over the country.

She took to her X handle and wrote, “Anywhere else this Tamilian Harvey Weinstein would be investigated at the very least. Gangrape cases have evidence fudged and dont get justice in our country so wishing for justice is too much in India. Almost 20 women have named Vairamuthu, yet the shamelessness to platform him requires a special wiring.”