AIADMK MP's Remarks On Nayanthara Criticised by Khushbu, Vishnu Manchu

After AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP and former minister CV Shanmugam's remark on actor Nayanthara came under fire, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and Telugu actor Vishnu Manchu have criticised the statement and voiced their disappointment.

Shanmugam, according to The News Minute, in a recent protest, said, "Abdul Kalam asked us to dream. But this man [MK Stalin] has gone further and told us, ‘You dream, I will fulfil it’. I want Nayanthara — will he fulfil my dream? If I say, ‘Get Nayanthara married to me’, will he get it done?” The MP was reportedly referring to the DMK government’s ‘Ungal Kanavai Sollungal’ (Tell Us Your Dreams) scheme, which calls upon citizens to share their ambitions.

"Pls single out one such degrading statement from a woman / female actor about a man?? Gender equality and respect is a two way traffic. The day a woman speaks about a man, all hell will break loose," wrote Khushbu on X.

Manchu added that actresses cannot be punching bags. "Reading about the political campaigns in my Tamil Nadu. Felt It’s in extremely poor taste to drag actresses into political narratives. Not just in TN but anywhere. Actors are not political punching bags. They are individuals with families, dignity, and a life beyond the screen. Public discourse cannot come at the cost of basic respect, especially towards women. Indian culture, at its core, places women as Shakti, to be respected, not reduced to headlines or insults. Let’s do better," the actor wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the South Indian Film Artistes Association (SIAA) has reportedly condemned the remark. According to Hindustan Times, in a statement addressed to the MP, the association remarked that the speech garnered a lot of backlash among the film fraternity. Nayanthara was last seen alongside Chiranjeevi in the Telugu film Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu.