Simbu to meet police; Anirudh stays away

With the Beep Song sparking off major controversy across the state, earlier this week actor Simbu stated that, he is ready to face the course of law as he had nothing to hide or run from. The song which went viral on YouTube and WhatsApp prompted the Coimbatore police who registered a case on the actor based on complaints. The police had issued summons to Simbu to appear before them for further investigations on December 19. Sources close to the actor have now confirmed that he will summon himself at the Coimbatore Race Course police station on Saturday. Sources also revealed that Simbu’s father T Rajendar had expressed his displeasure on Simbu being constantly targeted in this controversy. Rajendar is said to have claimed that Simbu is not responsible for leaking the song. However, there was no confirmation if the actor would publicly apologise as various women’s groups had been protesting outside the actor’s residence in T Nagar two days ago.

A joint statement from 27 Tamil poets condemned the Beep Song. The acclaimed poets from the state included Pulamaipithan, Muthulingam, Pa Vijay, Snehan, Yugabharathi, Sorko Karunanidhi and Ilaya Bharathi. In their statement, they said, “It is our duty to register our complaint on the derogatory song made by Simbu and Anirudh.” 

The poets went on to explain, “As cinema is a powerful medium and its messages are capable of spreading rapidly, the creators must be very careful about their works and their content.” The poets said such songs would lead to a curiosity among youth to know what were the words that got beeped out.

In a complaint to Actors’ Association, Hindu Makkal Katchi’s State Secretary Veeramanickam condemned the act of the duo. He demanded stringent action be taken on both for releasing the derogatory song about women in a country where women are worshipped. 

Sources close to Anirudh Ravichander, who is in Toronto, in connection with a musical concert, said, the composer’s entire crew had returned to Chennai.

The music director who was expected to return early this week, had decided to stay back in Toronto.

According to insiders, Anirudh took this decision because he was advised that an individual cannot be held accountable for a summons if he or she is outside the country. As per a statement released online, Anirudh denied his involvement with the song. The composer said, “I was distressed to read today about the controversy surrounding the so called Beep Song. I would like to clarify my stand on the subject. It is neither my composition nor my lyrics and I am not the singer. Unfortunately, and to my dismay, my name has been unnecessarily dragged into this controversy even though I am not in any way connected.”