Overview
- At the Dhandoraa pre-release event, Sivaji urged heroines to avoid ‘revealing’ outfits and to wear sarees or fully covered dresses, using terms widely condemned as derogatory.
- In a video on X, he apologized for using ‘unparliamentary’ words and said his intention was good, though he maintained he meant to offer safety advice to actresses.
- Addressing media on December 24, he largely stood by his position and cited incidents involving Nidhhi Agerwal and Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the reason he spoke out.
- The Telangana State Women’s Commission took suo motu cognizance and issued a notice directing him to appear for an enquiry on December 27.
- Backlash grew across the industry and online, with Chinmayi Sripada, Ram Gopal Varma, and Payal Rajput criticizing his remarks, and one report said more than 100 women filed a complaint with MAA.