Udhayanidhi Stalin row: Kangana Ranaut, Khushbu Sundar and more slam him over ‘crass, filthy’ remark
New Delhi: Actor-turned-politician courted controversy over an alleged remark about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister ‘s friendship with a female actor, which many interpreted as referring to Trisha Krishnan. The DMK leader was arrested in connection with his controversial remarks and later granted .
The remarks sparked massive outrage from all corners and several celebrities, including Kangana Ranaut, Khushbu Sundat, Chinmayi Sripada and Ambika, criticised the statement made by Stalin at a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) protest over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute.
What did Kangana Ranaut say?
Reacting to the remarks made by Udhayanidhi Stalin, actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Public display of filthy abuses, double meaning obscene and vulgar jokes is not acceptable to any civilised society. Mr Stalin was sent to jail for the offence, he might be out on bail by now but it’s a good precedent.”
Khushbu Sundar demands apology
Actress and BJP leader Khushbu Sundar also slammed Stalin’s remarks and wrote on social media, “If those with such a mindset aspire to lead a political party and one day govern the state, then God help us. Women need to be respected and not treated as a pawn to play to your whims and fancies. When you know you cannot match the performance, vision or leadership of your political opponent, resorting to personal insults and vulgarity becomes the easiest escape.”
Heard #Udhayanidhi Stalin’s speech. It was crass, cheap and deeply derogatory; reflecting the very political culture he seems eager to inherit.
If those with such a mindset aspire to lead a political party and one day govern the state, then God help us. What else can one expect…
— KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) August 4, 2026
She concluded with demanding an unconditional public apology from Udhayanidhi Stalin to Trisha Krishnan.
Chinmayi Sripaada reacts
Singer Chinmayi Sripaada also criticised the alleged remark and wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “If men in politics could just focus on actual issues instead of dragging women who have nothing to do with their scheme of things – it would be stellar.” Referring to the controversy, she said she had initially failed to understand the remark until someone explained its implied meaning to her.”
“I didn’t understand what the purported underlying meaning of what the LoP of Tamil Nadu said. Someone known to me explained it a while ago. I thought it was about a water connection. Turns out most women didn’t get it. It was a Bro thing. The least he could have done was tell his audience to pipe down or tell them to behave better, but he went ahead to say something far worse,” she added.
She further wrote, “Heard Udhayanidhi Stalin’s speech. It was crass, cheap and deeply derogatory; reflecting the very political culture he seems eager to inherit.”
Actress Ambika reacts
Veteran actress Ambika expressed her “shock” over the controversial statement. She wrote on X, “I never ever thought Udhayanidhi would talk like that. Oh my god. Shocked… Youngsters are there who look up to you. Don’t be a bad influence. Really sad.”
What did Udhayanidhi Stalin say about Trisha Krishnan?
Udhayanishi Stalin was arrested on Tuesday (August 4) after his comments at a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) protest over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute sparked massive outrage. While, he did not name the female actor, Vijay and Trisha Krishnan are rumoured to be close friends.
Addressing the gathering in Thanjavur, he criticised the Tamil Nadu government over its handling of the Cauvery water dispute with Karnataka.
He said, “Forty-five thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water should have come… but not a single drop has come. But the CM we have is not even opening his mouth. His only concern is about how to impose false cases on DMK leaders…”
Then, a section of audience began chanting the name of Trisha Krishnan. DMK leader paused briefly, smiled and made the alleged double-meaning remark, drawing applause and laughter from the crowd.
He added, “I mean, I was referring to Cauvery only.”
He was later granted bail. After his release, he spoke to reporters and addressed his controversial remark. He said, “My words had only one meaning. I never intended to insult anyone.”
The video of his remarks quickly went viral on social media, triggering sharp criticism.