Vishal says friendship with Udhayanidhi Stalin remains unchanged amid political differences

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and his rumoured girlfriend Trisha are in the headlines after Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks. Most of the celebrities have put themselves into controversy after commenting on Udhayanidhi’s remarks. Tamil actor Vishal has also opened up on the issue. Vishal said his friendship with Udhayanidhi Stalin remains the same despite their political differences. At the audio launch of Magudam in Chennai, Vishal, in a chat with leading news publications, recalled their student days and said he continues to have the same affection for Udhayanidhi and his wife, Kiruthiga.

Talking about his old friend, Vishal said, “Udhaya, as always, I love him. He and (his wife) Kiruthiga, I always love them, come what may. My fondness for Udhaya started during our student days, when he was in love with Kiruthiga. If I enter politics, there will never be a serious fight between Udhaya and me. It will be something healthy, but nothing out of rift or conflict. I will openly admit it today. I previously spoke about his production house, Red Giant Movies, because of my suffering. But Udhaya is too good a person.”

For the unversed, Vishal had earlier criticised Udhayanidhi’s production house, Red Giant Movies, accusing it of having a monopoly and alleging unfair practices during the release of his films Enemy and Mark Antony. He said his criticism was because of his own experience, but it doesn’t change his personal feelings towards Udhayanidhi and his wife.

Udhayanidhi while criticising Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay was recently arrested over his alleged double-entendre remark involving actor Trisha Krishnan. Udhayanidhi was later released on bail. Actor Vishal at the Magudam event while speaking about Udhayanidhi’s arrest said that his friend Udhaya said something and got arrested. He said there are a lot of people like that in my fraternity who talk about senior artists that way.

The actor raised questions about YouTubers. He said that CM Joseph Vijay should check how YouTubers create the content and create narratives. He said, ” I ask CM Joseph Vijay to do this one thing. Many on YouTube speak ill of senior actresses and other female artists in an ugly manner. They should be punished.”

The controversy began during a rally in Thanjavur over the Cauvery water dispute. Udhayanidhi was speaking about the issue when slogans involving Trisha were raised by people in the crowd. His response was later interpreted as a double entendre referring to Vijay and Trisha, leading to complaints and his arrest. Udhayanidhi has maintained that his remarks were about the Cauvery issue, while DMK leaders also said he had not mentioned Trisha by name.

Vishal and Udhayanidhi studied together at Don Bosco School in Chennai, while Vijay studied with them at Loyola College.