Chennai: Union Minister for Women and Child Development Menaka Gandhi wrote to singer and dubbing artiste Chinmayi promising her that she will look into the issue of her being removed from South Indian Cine and Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union without any intimation. after she made sexual allegations against lyricst Vairmauthu as part of her #MeToo movement.
The Minister said that National Commission for Women will look into her allegations. The Minister’s assurance was in response to a Twitter post from Chinmayi, who sought the intervention of Menaka.
Chinmayi, who was at the forefront of the #MeToo movement was removed from the union. “I have been terminated from the dubbing union. Which means I can no longer dub in Tamil films henceforth. The reason stated is that I havent paid subscription fees for 2 years though this hasn’t stopped them from taking 10% off my dubbing income,” she said.
A few months ago, Chinamyi named Vairamuthu as a sexual harasser and detailed how she had allegedly been asked by the organiser of a programme in Switzerland to ‘cooperate’ with Vairamuthu. She was reportedly asked to visit him in a hotel in Lucerne. When she refused and demanded that they (Chinmayi and her mother) return to India, she was supposedly told that her career was over. Chinmayi says that the incident took place in 2005 or 2006.
Further, the singer added that 3-4 years ago, Vairamuthu had asked her to sing the Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu at a book release function. When she refused him, he allegedly threatened her and said that he would tell a politician that she had spoken ill of him onstage. Chinmayi also said that in all her years in the industry, nobody but Vairamuthu had behaved indecently with her.