With four days to go for the release of the highly-anticipated Vivegam, actor Ajith Kumar sent out a legal notice on Saturday evening, condemning online abuse and clarifying that he does not subscribe to any views that several social media accounts seem to lean towards using his name.
The notice sent out by his legal counselors addresses the fact that he has no social media accounts, and hence it’s “misuse of his name” when his fans troll people who aren’t his fans.
“There are a few unauthorised self-proclaimed individuals, groups and associations, passing off their personal views and opinion on social and political issues under the guise and likeness of our client, through the unauthorised use of our client’s name and image,” the statement reads.
The statement further issues an apology to all those who have been trolled and abused. “Persons misusing our client’s name have also been trolling members of the film industry, journalists, critics and other individuals. While it is important to identify such miscreants and hold them accountable, our client unconditionally apologises for any hurt or harm caused.”
At the same time, the statement also appreciates those who like Ajith’s works, and clarifies that the actor prefers not to have official fan clubs.
Read the full statement here:
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Ajith’s statement prior to his film’s release is in stark contrast to that of what actor Vijay had done after his fans abused a journalist when she made a comment about walking out of one of his films. Days after the journalist endured abuse from his fans, the actor issued a statement:
Through the press release, Vijay said:
“I respect women greatly. Anybody and everybody has the right to critique a film and this comes under our right to free speech. My opinion is that nobody should degrade women or abuse them, whatever may be the circumstances. We should all celebrate femininity and womenhood. I request everybody to behave responsibly on social media and to not hurt anybody intentionally!”
The actor was criticised heavily on social media for his silence, and giving a free rein to his fans.
Vivegam, directed by Siva, stars Ajith as an agent and will release on August 24.
