Joy Crizildaa blackmailed me into marrying her: Madhampatty Rangaraj

CHENNAI: A day after reports surfaced that celebrity chef and actor Madhampatty Rangaraj had confirmed his marriage to fashion designer Joy Crizildaa, the actor denied the news, claiming that the marriage was forced. Rangaraj alleged that Joy had blackmailed him using private photos and videos. Joy recently gave birth to a child; she claimed it is his.

He took to social media on Wednesday, November 5, to dismiss the reports as baseless, stating that he had already informed the Tamil Nadu Women’s Commission about the blackmail and had appealed for action against the designer.

Rangaraj also refused to pay the monthly allowance amount sought by Joy before the commission, which reportedly included Rs 1.5 lakh as maintenance and a monthly EMI of Rs 1.25 lakh for her BMW car.

Regarding the child, Rangaraj requested the commission to conduct a DNA test and said that if it was scientifically proven that the child was his, he would take responsibility and provide for the child throughout his life.

He further clarified that he had not given any statement as mentioned in the referral order of the Women’s Commission. Rangaraj said he would appeal to the court against the referral order and submit all necessary evidence to establish the truth. All proceedings before the Commission, he added, would be duly submitted to the court in accordance with the law.

Joy Crizildaa, who has worked as a costume designer in many Tamil films, had filed a case against Rangaraj in August, soon after publicly announcing their marriage and pregnancy on her social media. In her complaint, she alleged the chef abandoned her after living together. She claimed that he concealed his marital status and had tricked her into marrying him.

She has since shared many photos and videos featuring Rangaraj on her social media pages, seeking justice. She also filed a plea seeking Rs 6.5 lakh as monthly maintenance to cover her expenses and her child's. Last week, she gave birth to a baby boy.

Joy is reportedly Rangaraj's second wife. He remains legally married to his first wife, Shruthi, a lawyer, with whom he has two sons, as per media reports.

When the case was first filed, Rangaraj reportedly remained silent. Even when summoned to court, he appeared alongside his first wife but did not respond to the allegations. He later filed a civil suit demanding Joy to not post statements, photos, or videos about him and had also sought an interim direction to remove the content about him. The petitions were rejected.