'Deeply hurt by Urvashi chechi's words, explanation hard to believe'; Anchor responds in Aasha event controversy

The last few days were not so good for anchor Daksha Raveendranath. An introduction Daksha delivered, showering praise on Urvashi, didn't land well with the actress and ended up with the anchor facing the wrath. Urvashi, irked that Daksha used English in her speech rather than Malayalam, made her criticism public, accompanied by her signature humour. The incident sparked debate across social media, even witnessing producer Supriya Menon's opinion on the issue.

However, now that the storm is settled, anchor Daksha Raveendranath came out with her take on the issue. Daksha said she was deeply hurt by Urvashi's reaction to the matter, and said she chose silence out of fear of this negatively impacting her profession.

Daksha:

“Various versions and distorted accounts of an incident that occurred during the filming of the movie Aasha are currently circulating on social media. I am making this video now out of concern that this might affect my mental health and the career I have built over the years. Until now, I had viewed the incident lightly—even finding the humour in it—primarily because it was legendary actress Urvashi Chechi on the other side.

I have immense respect and admiration for actress Urvashi. Moreover, controversies of this nature often arise around the time of a movie's release. I had intended to steer clear of unnecessary drama. However, the recent interview issue affected me badly. Urvashi chechi said that she interfered after an older woman requested her to suggest that the anchor speak Malayalam. However, I find this hard to believe. The crowd was standing behind a barricade set up away from the stage; I am not sure if someone on stage could actually see a person making such a gesture from that distance, let alone hear what they say.

Anyway, let’s assume a mother did make such a request; even then, Urvashi chechi could have beckoned me to switch to Malayalam, rather than this public reprimand. Even the organisers could have told me to speak Malayalam if the actress was not having it. I am trying to view this merely as a simple issue, but the tone she used is not letting me take this matter so lightly.”