Director R. Parthiban became embroiled in a public dispute after making comments about actress Trisha Krishnan at the Galatta Awards ceremony in Chennai. The incident occurred during a fast-paced segment, when Parthiban made a pun about Trisha’s character, “Kundavai,” from the film Ponniyin Selvan. Parthiban used the display of Trisha’s photograph to say in Tamil, “Indha Kundavaiye konjaneram kunthavaikkirathu nallath” (It is better to ask this Kundavai to sit at home for a while), which showed that her departure from home caused multiple issues. The comment received widespread understanding as an indirect reference to Trisha’s recent public appearance with actor-politician Vijay amid ongoing speculation about Vijay’s divorce.
Trisha responded without naming Parthiban in an X (formerly Twitter) post that stated she had been added to the event through the work of an unidentified person. She wrote “A microphone doesn’t make a comment intelligent… Crude words without knowledge say more about the speaker than the person they’re aimed at” to show her disapproval.
The public apology, which Parthiban published on X on March 8 2026, came after fans and industry colleagues began to criticise him. What happened has gone all wrong in this. The only option left is to express regret! He later explained that he made a humorous pun in his comment, combining “Kundavai” with the Tamil term “kunthavaikkirathu,” which means to make someone sit. His friend informed him about the unsuitable content, so he requested the event organisers to stop showing that particular segment.
The incident has sparked widespread discussion about the need for sensitivity and respect at public events, especially amid the intense media scrutiny of Trisha and Vijay’s personal lives.
