Vairamuthu Is A Great Poet, But Not A Good Human Being: Gangai Amaran Stands By Chinmayi

For the first time in nearly seven years, a prominent figure from the music industry has openly come out in support of singer Chinmayi, who has been consistently vocal about her allegations of sexual misconduct against celebrated poet and lyricist Vairamuthu.

At a recent event attended by Chinmayi herself, music director Gangai Amaran - the brother of legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja - publicly backed Chinmayi's claims. "Yes, he may be a great poet, but he is not a good human being," Amaran stated bluntly.

Chinmayi, ever the sport, responded with a playful jab, "Please think before you speak, sir, because the Chief Minister's residence is nearby," she joked, earning laughs from the audience.

Back in 2018, Chinmayi's allegations against Vairamuthu during the #MeToo movement sent shockwaves through the Tamil film industry. She claimed that Vairamuthu had harassed her during a cultural event, Veezhamattam, in Switzerland in 2005. While Vairamuthu flatly denied the allegations, Chinmayi stuck to her stand, calling his denials false. She was among the first women in the industry to speak up during the MeToo wave.

As a result of her allegations, Chinmayi was expelled from the South Indian Cine, Television Artistes and Dubbing Artistes Union, effectively shutting her out of Tamil cinema. Her last Tamil song was in the film 96.

For years, support from within the industry has been almost non-existent - until now. After Chinmayi's rendition of Muththa Mazhai from the upcoming film Thug Life went viral, fans flooded social media with messages of solidarity, insisting that it wasn't Chinmayi's loss but Tamil cinema's. "You might try to cancel the name Chinmayi," one viral post read, "but you can never silence that voice."

Interestingly, though Chinmayi performed Muththa Mazhai at the film's audio launch, the official version in Thug Life was sung by Dhee, with AR Rahman composing the music.

It has to be noted that Venkat Prabhu, Gangai Amaran's son and a filmmaker, also praised Chinmayi's performance. Taking to X, he posted, "Hey @Chinmayi, your version of #Muthamazhai from #ThuglifeAudioLaunch was out of this world! Completely addicted ❤️❤️. Also loved your Hindi and Telugu versions! Pah, no words!!"