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VJ Abishek Raaja Called Out on Social Media for Misogynist Comments on Actor Regina Cassandra 

VJ Abishek Raaja in an interview with actor Regina Cassandra, posed uncomfortable questions but later edited the part out of the video after netizens slammed him for his misogynist approach and comments.

In the edited clip, Raaja asks the Evaru actor about what goes into making the “equation” between male and female actors on-screen.

“Generally, is it easy or difficult to quickly create an equation with heroes in films? What goes into that? Do you talk to each other two days before shooting or in case of a love story do you two take some time off, understand each other and feel comfortable? Do such things happen and do you have time for that?” he asked.

“I feel that it may be good if it happens,” he said, to which Regina replied: “Why are you asking me this?”

“It depends. It is very subjective. This shows how professional you are, to strike a chord with somebody out of nowhere and look so comfortable on screen. You would do something for that,” Abishek said.

Pointing out that actors socialise outside the sets as well, Regina said, “Anyway before starting a film, you will have photoshoots. We have all that and so you get to know the person. Also in our industry, everyone is friends. Even if you don’t meet on behalf of films, you will meet them outside for sure.”

The video jockey asked the actor if she thought of changing her name to something simpler, referring to prior conversations of “weird ways of pronouncing your name”, as an example. He concluded by calling Regina “a butterfly” because of the print on the dress that she was wearing.

Netizens flooded the comments’ section of the video pointing out Abishek’s misogynist approach towards Regina.

This wasn’t the first time that Abishek was called out for his offensive questions to female actors during interviews.

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Soon after this interview, a video from 2017 of an interview with Master actor Andrea Jeremiah surfaced where he is seen telling her, “Here’s a chance for Abhishek, who has drooled looking at you for a long time, to talk to you. You can shake my hand, I won’t do anything.”

In the video, he questioned Jeremiah’s on-set proximity with her male co-actors and stated that she looked out-of-place because of her Christian background. He asked her if she was “hippy and yo girl”since she watches plays at Alliance Francaise, drinks coffee in Besant Nagar in Chennai, and rides motorbikes “wearing helmets that match their dress”.

Referring to her work in films like Vada Chennai, he further said: “They have taken a beautiful, white girl and made her sit in coovum [slums]… despite the fact that she calls herself a Chennai girl.”

Netizens have tweeted about the VJ’s inappropriate behaviour and called him out for it.

Silverscreen India tried to contact Regina and Jeremiah, but they were both unavailable for comment.