R Parthiban on Vijay-Trisha Controversy: 'There is a Difference Between a Mistake and Wrongdoing'

Actor and filmmaker R Parthiban has responded to the controversy around his comments about actor Trisha Krishnan at a recent award show, by releasing an almost eight-minute long video explaining the context behind his remarks and denying any intentional wrongdoing.

The controversy began after Parthiban made a remark on stage referencing Trisha’s character Kundhavai from Ponniyin Selvan. During his speech, he said that it might be “better to ask this Kundhavai to sit at home for a while”, a comment that quickly picked up steam online.

Trisha responded on social media: “A microphone doesn’t make a comment intelligent or humorous. It just makes stupidity louder.”

In his video, Parthiban clarified the difference between intention and accident. “There is a difference between a mistake and wrongdoing. A mistake is something done unknowingly. A wrongdoing is something done willingly. Similarly, there is a difference between an apology and expressing regret,” he said.

He maintained that the incident was unintentional and said the appearance of Trisha’s photo during his speech had caught him by surprise. According to Parthiban, he had been speaking about actors Vijay and Ajith Kumar when her image appeared on screen. “The claim that I specifically requested her photo to be displayed is 100 per cent wrong,” he said.

Parthiban also referred to online discourse regarding Trisha’s appearance alongside Vijay at a wedding reception, including remarks made in a video by YouTuber Anthanan from the channel Valaipechu. He said similar opinions were being discussed backstage before the event.

When the image appeared on screen, he said, the host referenced Kundhavai which prompted his off-the-cuff reaction. “I simply said, ‘Let Kundhavai sit at home so that problems don’t arise.’ I said it with anguish. That is all,” he explained.

The actor and filmmaker added that journalist Rangaraj Pandey had advised him after the speech that the remark could have been avoided altogether. Acting on that suggestion, Parthiban said he asked the event organisers to delete the segment from the video, but the clip had already circulated online by the next morning.

Additionally, he expressed regret about the broader controversy, while criticising Trisha’s response to the incident. Parthiban said he had recorded a video message around International Women’s Day to clarify the situation but learned only later that Trisha had already posted her reaction online. “I regretted the entire incident wholeheartedly,” he said, adding that the aftermath of the incident had far exceeded what he had expected or intended.