At an event held for the film Dhandoraa in Hyderabad on Monday evening, Telugu actor Sivaji ruffled feathers with his comments about women. The actor referred to women who don’t dress modestly as ‘daridrapu m***a’ (wretched woman) and referred to their body parts with the misogynistic term ‘saamaan’ (things/assets). Singer Chinmayi, actor Manchu Manoj, and numerous people on the internet called him out for it.
What did Sivaji say?
When Sivaji praised anchor Sravanthi Chokkarapu for dressing modestly in a saree, the crowd began chanting ‘Mangapathi,’ referring to his villainous character from the film Court: State vs A Nobody. Seemingly taking it too seriously, he went on a tangent and said, “I want to advise heroines not to wear whatever they feel like when going out, because you will bear the consequences of it.”
He then added, “Em anukovoddu amma heroines andaru. Miru anukunna naku poyedi em le, laagi peekutamu manam. Adi vere vishyam. (Don’t mind me saying this, heroines. Even if you mind, I don’t care because I’ll slap back).” Sivaji went on to claim that women are only beautiful when they dress modestly or in a saree.
“Saamaanu kanabade dantlo em undadu amma (Clothes that show your assets don’t do anything),” claimed Sivaji as the audience and a few people on stage cheered along. Seemingly encouraged by that, he even added, “Whenever you wear revealing clothes, people will smile. But they’ll think you’re a wretched woman. And if they say it out loud, you’ll bring up freedom for women,” he said, adding, “There should be a limit to glamour. Your freedom is a privilege, don’t lose it.”
How did the internet react
Despite some people on stage at the event and the audience enjoying Sivaji’s soliloquy, the internet was not having it. “Ee nakka inka inka worstu ga avthunaadu, could none of them standing behind him stop him ffs??? (This fox keeps getting worse by the day. Could none of them standing there stop him?)” questioned an X (formerly Twitter) user. One opined, “A suo motu case should be initiated against Sivaji by the Women’s Commission for making such a derogatory remark on a public platform.”
“Calling women’s bodies as “samanlu” on a public platform and everybody clapping, endo.. Andaru aadollaki valla battalu gurinchi vollu gurinchi cheppetode (Everyone feels entitled to talk about women’s bodies and clothing),” wrote another frustrated X user. Referring to a famous dialogue from Rajinikanth’s 2005 film Chandramukhi, one person wrote, “Sivaji Mangapathi Character esaadu. Sivaji Mangapathi la Matladadu. #Sivaji Mangapathi La Maaradu. Sivaji Ne Mangapathi (Sivaji played Mangapathi; he spoke like him and changed like him. He is Mangapathi).”
Chinmayi, Manchu Manoj hit out at Sivaji
Chinmayi took to X to call out Sivaji for ‘rage baiting’ at the event, terming it as, “Men commenting on women and what they should wear to rage-promote films in a society that hates women.” She also called him out for the usage of the word ‘saamaan’ as something incels use, adding, “Actor Shivaji played a villain in a fantastic film and end up becoming the hero for incel boys. The point is – these are professional spaces where Shivaji is using words like ‘Daridrapu M***a’.”
The singer and dubbing artist also questioned why Sivaji was wearing a hoodie and jeans, suggesting, “He should wear only Dhotis and follow Indian culture. Wear bottu and if he is married wear the Kankanam and Mettelu to signify he is married. Unbelievable how women are treated here.” Actor Manchu Manoj also called out Sivaji and released a statement on social media.
“This kind of statement is deeply disappointing. Policing women’s clothing or placing moral responsibility on them is outdated and unacceptable. Respect and accountability should start with individual behaviour, not by shaming women for how they dress. Public figures must speak responsibly, especially when their words influence society,” read a portion of his statement.