Actor Sanam Shetty triggered an intense discussion on the value of female stars and equality in cinema on Friday. After the makers of Suriya and Mamitha Baiju's film Vishwanath and Sons dropped its first song with a poster, Sanam asked why her name is not mentioned in the poster. While the poster has Mamitha's photograph, her name is missing in it. She wrote, "What is stopping the makers to mention Lead Heroine's name on the poster? All other main names are mentioned except hers! This is unfair and high time we change this trend!"

According to Sanam Shetty, "Mamitha Baiju has earned her name that's why she is cast in such a big film!" However, she argued that every heroine, regardless of experience, would deserve to be have her name mentioned in the promotional material of a film. The actor added, "Cinema Industry needs to evolve...one change at a time!"

Sanam coped much criticism for sharing her opinion about Vishwanath and Sons. One user alleged that she was criticising the makers of the film for attention. "As a man, I welcome your demand. But why not have it a generic accusation rather than pointing at a specific poster? Isn’t it selective criticism? Most of us know your attention seeking mindset, so not falling for it, and hence, not digging further," the user wrote.

In her response, the actor said, "Someone has to question at some point! We can't change the past but I hope to see a positive change in our film culture going forward!" Sanam said that she has much respect for Suriya as not just an actor but also "a socially responsible human" being, and added that her criticism was not pointed at him personally.

Earlier, Sanam criticised Vijay for his public appearance with Trisha, and she was criticised for being attention-seeking back then too. She added, "And I'm not being partial to Vijay sir either ...although I'm his fan. I'm asking everyone and the industry as a whole. This is a general Film culture which we have normalised/overlooked for so long ...not just in Tamil or Telugu Cinema... but nationwide!"

The actor further reinstated her point about giving actors equal space in cinema. "My point is simple. If the heroine is important in the script and if her presence is used to promote the film then she deserves to get mentioned in posters! Whether she has market value or not is irrelevant for poster credits! Cinema evolves with us. It's all about equality and respect."