Singer and voice artist Chinmayi Sripaada has issued a detailed explanation after facing widespread criticism for lending her voice to Emkoney, a song from Draupathi 2.
The film is directed by Mohan G, who has long been criticised for making caste-supremacist and anti-Dalit cinema. Following the song promo's release, Chinmayi found herself at the centre of backlash, prompting her to clarify how she became part of the project without knowledge of the filmmaker involved.
Chinmayi Says She Was Unaware Of The Director Involved
In a statement issued on December 1, Chinmayi apologised and offered a full account of what led to her participation.
She wrote, "At the outset, my heartfelt apologies for Emkoney. Ghibran is a composer I have known for 18 years, since my jingle-singing days. When his office called for this song, I 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."
Chinmayi added that she discovered the film's context only after the promo release. "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 in complete contradiction to mine. This is the absolute truth," she added.
At the outset, my heartfelt apologies for Emkoney.
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) December 1, 2025
Ghibran is a composer I have known for 18 years since my jingle singing days. When his office called for this song, I just went & sang as I usually do. If I remember right, Ghibran wasn't present during this session - I was…
Director CS Amudhan stepped forward to defend Chinmayi.
He wrote on X, "If you think a singer gets to ask these questions, you probably don't know how TFI (Tamil film industry) works. There are many other people up the food chain who are culpable & actually in the know. Don't go after the low-hanging fruit."
If you think a singer gets to ask these questions you probably don't know how TFI works. There are many other people up the food chain who are culpable & actually in the know. Don't go after the low hanging fruit. https://t.co/GdaHHVjDlS
— CS Amudhan (@csamudhan) November 30, 2025
Mohan G Responds
Soon after Chinmayi's statement, director Mohan G responded on X, urging critics not to attack anyone associated with the film apart from him.
He wrote, "Don't target any technicians, actors, actresses or whoever works with me in #Draupathi2. Whatever my movie speaks, it's my own creation and ideology. Your target is me... Don't target those associated directly or indirectly with me and my projects. It's a kind of cowardice."
Don't target any Technicians, Actors, actresses and who ever work with me in #Draupathi2.. Whatever my movie speaks it's my own creation and idealogy. Your target is me.. Don't target those associated Directly or indirectly with me and my projects.. It's a kind of cowardness..
— Mohan G Kshatriyan (@mohandreamer) December 1, 2025
Although titled after his 2020 film, Draupathi 2 is set in the 14th century and is unrelated to its predecessor in terms of plot. The film stars Richard Rishi and Rakshana Induchoodan and marks Richard's third collaboration with Mohan G after Draupathi and Rudra Thandavam.
Mohan G's earlier works have been widely condemned for promoting caste-based prejudice. His debut Draupathi (2020) echoed rhetoric that vilified Dalit men, while Rudra Thandavam (2021) repeated harmful stereotypes and made baseless allegations about the misuse of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. His 2023 film Bakasuran was also criticised for its regressive portrayal of women.
