10 March,2026 11:01 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Parthiban and Trisha
Actor-director R Parthiban has now broken his silence on his controversial remarks about Trisha in an almost eight-minute-long video after apologising earlier. It started after he made a controversial comment about actor Trisha at an award show. In the video, he clarified his stance and explained the context behind his remarks. He even responded to Trisha's allegation that he had requested organisers to show her photo on stage.
At the award show, Parthiban was asked to react to pictures of celebrities. When Trisha's photo came up, he said, "Indha Kundavaiye konjaneram kunthavaikkirathu nallathu (It is better to ask this Kundavai to sit at home for a while)," referring to her character from Ponniyin Selvan. His comment drew a sharp response from her, where she said, "A microphone doesn't make a comment intelligent or humorous. It just makes stupidity louder (sic)."
Parthiban, in the video, opened his statement by drawing a careful difference between intent and accident. "There is a difference between a mistake and wrongdoing. A mistake is something done unknowingly. A wrongdoing is something done willingly. Similarly, there is a difference between an apology and expressing regret," he said.
He further acknowledged that a mistake, adding it was never intentional, saying, "When I was speaking about Thalapathy Vijay and Ajith Kumar, a photo of Trisha appeared on-screen. I was genuinely shocked and did not know how to react at that moment. The claim that I specifically requested her photo to be displayed is 100 per cent wrong. I am not a slave to anyone. I have never been paid to attend an event, and I never will be. I will not join any political party or compromise my integrity for money."
Explaining in detail what happened, Parthiban shared that before the event, while waiting backstage for nearly 30 minutes, he watched a video by YouTuber Valaipechu Anthanan, which spoke about Thalapathy Vijay's political rise and suggested that Trisha should not have attended the wedding reception with him. He added that similar views were being widely expressed at the time, including by a journalist.
When Trisha's photo unexpectedly appeared on screen, and anchor Priyanka referred to the Ponniyin Selvan character Kundhavai, he reacted at the moment. "I simply said, Kundhavai-yai veetileye kundhavaikavum, prechanai varamal irruka (Let Kundhavai sit at home, so that problems don't arise). I said it with anguish. That is all," he clarified.
He added, "I would have spoken about Velu Nachiyar, Diana Charles, or even Mother Teresa - it was Women's Day, after all. The allegation that I had any intention of talking about Trisha is unfair."
