Actor Shakthi Vasu, known for his films like Mahesh Saranya Matrum Palar (2008) and Ninaithale Inikkum (2009), has hit back at his trolls after receiving hate and criticism for his recent appearance in the film Anali. Reacting strongly to negative comments and abuse, Shakthi posted a photo of himself working hard at the gym by lifting weights and boxing.

"You'll see me soon like this. My will power is high when I start my workout," he remarked, expressing his confidence for his upcoming film Karathey Babu, headlined by Ravi Mohan and helmed by Ganesh K Babu. "And for people who trigger me, thank you all because it motivates me a lot. It's not new to me because I'm the founder of it. Have seen enough. Trigerukke Triggera? Kandupudchavane Naan thaan, friends (I founded it first). No harm to anyone," he added.

Supporting and encouraging him, actor Ajmal Amir of Ko-fame asked him to continue working towards his goal without paying heed to negativity and memes. "One film is enough… for an entire generation to never forget you. That's what real aura is. Anyone can create memes…But it takes guts to take risks and experiment. Losers will keep trolling… Winners will keep evolving. Love you, brother. All the best. God bless," he commented under his post.

Pictures and videos of Shakthi Vasu from Anali recently surfaced on social media, prompting relentless criticism from X users, many of whom trolled his appearance and performance in the film. Directed by Dinesh Dena, Anali stars Cynthia Lourde, Kabir Duhan Singh, Abhishek Vinod, Elango Kumaravel, and Mathew Vargees, among others. The film was released earlier this year to underwhelming response from the box office and audiences.

Karathey Babu, scheduled to release in theatres on August 28, will see Shakthi playing the role of Boxer Selvaraj, facing off against Ravi Mohan. A political thriller, the film's cast also includes debutant Daudee Jiwal, KS Ravikumar, Nasser, VTV Ganesh, Subramaniam Siva, Kavithalaya Krishnan, and Pradeep Antony, among others.