At the success event for his latest release, Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, on January 25 in Hyderabad, veteran Telugu star Chiranjeevi landed in controversy over his "no such thing as casting couch" comment. Singer Chinmayi Sripada soon took to X, where she wrote a long note addressing the issue.
Chinmayi Sripada's Post
After Chiranjeevi's comments went viral online, one of the first celebrities to react to Chiranjeevi's claim that the casting couch is not real was singer Chinmayi Sripada, who wrote a long note on X.
She said, "Casting couch is rampant; women are refused roles if they don't offer 'full commitment'-a word that means something completely different in the film industry."
She added, "Legendary Chiranjeevi garu comes from a generation where they were all friends-or even family friends-with their female co-artists. They mutually respected each other, worked with legends, and they are all legends themselves."
Reacting to Chiranjeevi's statement that the Telugu industry is a "mirror" that reflects "who you are", Chinmayi added, "Girls are now aspiring to work in the film industry from abroad, where they have a broad worldview, are highly educated, and know what's going on here. So, no-the industry is not a mirror that reflects who you are."
Recalling her own uncomfortable experience, Chinmayi said, "I didn't get molested by Vairamuthu because I was asking for it. I was barely an adult out of my teens; I respected him as a mentor and legendary lyricist-and didn't think he was an unsafe OLLLLLDER man. My mother was literally in the same premises-he molested me anyway."
When Chinmayi Called Out Lyricist Vairamuthu
During India's #MeToo movement in 2018, Chinmayi called out lyricist Vairamuthu for sexually abusing her during a concert in Switzerland back in 2005. She was removed from the South Indian Cine, Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union (SICTADAU) after she came out in support of the women who had named Radha Ravi, president of the dubbing union.
What Chiranjeevi Said
At the Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu event, Chiranjeevi, 70, denied the presence of a casting couch in the Telugu film industry.
"There's no such thing as a 'casting couch' or anything like that," he said. "It depends on your behaviour. You shouldn't have any insecurity about how things might be. Be professional, and others will be professional too."
He added:"This industry is like a mirror; what you give is what you get back. So, for anyone who wants to enter this industry with courage, come with determination, strong resolve, and hard work as your support. This is a great industry-everyone will thrive, whether they are girls or boys."
Every child, be it a girl or a boy, must be encouraged to thrive in the industry. "This is a great industry," he said. "If someone hasn't thrived here or says there are negative people or they've had a bitter experience, I strongly believe it's their own fault. If you are strict and serious, no one will try to take advantage of you."
He was last seen in Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, released in theatres on January 12, 2026. The movie also features Nayanthara and Venkatesh Daggubati.