In a recent interview with 94.3 Club FM, Premalu star Mamitha Baiju discussed the way in which director Bala treated her while on the sets of Vanangaan.

"Bala sir asked me to perform the 'villadichampaatu' (bow song) all of a sudden, and I did it in three attempts even as he admonished me and gave me a pat from behind." However, many publications misinterpreted the actor's comments and quoted her as saying that Bala hit her and mistreated her on the sets of the film. We reached out to the actor for clarification, and she said, "My remarks in that interview have been taken out of context. I did not mean any harm to anyone by it."

We also asked Mamitha about the implications of her words in the interview and whether the audience, who watched it, would think that she was normalising such treatment towards an actor in a workplace environment.

"I understand what you are implying, but this is also a case of personal comfort, right? Bala sir is like my mentor, and we share a good rapport with each other. Just like I give him that personal freedom, he also treats me the same way. He calls me 'papa' (little child) and treats me like a family member. He was also very caring while I was alone in Chennai for the shoot of the film."

It is to be noted that Vanangaan was supposed to star Mamitha, Krithi Shetty, and Suriya. However, its lead actors are now Arun Vijay and Roshini Prakash.

Mamitha will instead make her Tamil debut in Rebel, along with the likes of GV Prakash Kumar and Venkitesh VP.