Singer Chinmayi Sripada Apologises For Singing In Mohan G's Film 'Draupathi 2'
Chinmayi Sripada said she was unaware of the film in which the song featured when she sang for composer Ghibran
Singer Chinmayi Sripada has posted an apology for singing a song that belonged in controversial director Mohan G's film that went against her ideologies. She had posted a note on X, explaining how she had not known which film she was signing for when she recorded for Ghibran. The name of the song is ‘Emkoney’ which is part of Mohan G's next Tamil film titled Draupathi 2.
Her note read, “Ghibran is a composer I have known for 18 years since my jingle singing days. When his office called for this song, | just went and sang as I usually do. If I remember right, Ghibran wasn't present during this session—I was given an idea on how to sound tonally for the song; I finished the recording and I left. It is only now that I have got to learn about the context. If I had known beforehand I would never have collaborated because the ideologies are at complete contradiction to mine.”
The director’s earlier film Draupathi, although a box-office hit, became controversial for the film’s anti Dalit themes. His other projects include Rudra Thandavam (2021) and Bakasuran (2023).
Chinmayi, who was one of the patrons of the #MeToo movement from the south, named veteran Tamil poet and film lyricist Vairamuthu as her molester in 2018. It was also then that she publicly supported women who accused Tamil actor Radha Ravi, who was also the then-president of the South Indian Cine, Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union (SICTADAU), which Chinmayi was a part of. This eventually led to Chinmayi’s ban from the dubbing union, which cited her alleged default in payment of the annual subscription fee of a meagre ₹250 as the reason for her expulsion. This further prevented dubbing gigs and, more importantly, singing opportunities in Tamil for the singer.
In an earlier interview with THR India, the singer had stated, "I definitely miss singing Tamil songs. But it's like your home has become toxic, and you have to leave. It is sad, but that is the lived reality. When you watch your own fraternity protect and promote molesters and whitewash them, it's sad. I guess I just miss dubbing and recording in films. I got to do something as fantastic as 96 when my (Tamil) career ended, so I felt it was a nice film to end with."