Chinmayi on 'Punnagai Mannan' kiss controversy: Women have been trained to sweep unacceptable behaviour under the carpet

Tamil actress Rekha had, some time ago, claimed that her famous kissing scene with Kamal Haasan in Punnagai Mannan was filmed without her permission. She had also revealed that she would not have agreed to the liplock had the makers discussed the matter with her prior to the shoot. The old interview recently went viral on social media, angering movie buffs to such an extent that they urged 'Ulaga Nayagan' to apologise to the Dasharatham star.

Noted singer and ace dubbing artiste Chinmayi recently commented on the Punnagai Mannan issue and said that women have been' trained' to accept and 'normalise' unacceptable behaviour from men and this is the root cause of the problem. The 'voice of Samantha' added that Rekha spoke about the issue in a 'matter of fact' way, which proves that the matter has been normalised.

Chinmayi, one of the most outspoken names in the Tamil film industry, has often spoken about the harassment faced by women in Kollywood. She first grabbed eyeballs when she alleged that lyricist Varaimuthu had once harassed a friend. Later, she also took on Radha Ravi for allegedly mocking the Pollachi case, which affected several young women/girls.

Coming back to Rekha, she recently said that she does not need an apology from Kamal as the kiss did not look 'crude or aggressive' on the big screen. The star, however, maintained that she did not consent to kiss.

Meanwhile, with the controversy in full swing, Kamal is busy with the eagerly-awaited Indian 2. The film, helmed by ace filmmaker S Shankar, is a sequel to 1996 classic Indian/Hindustani and features the Vishwaroopam star in the role of an aged vigilante. The magnum opus has a stellar cast that includes Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth and Rakul Preet Singh. Indian 2 is likely to hit screens in January, 2021.