Prominent actor-politicians Khushbu Sundar and Sarath Kumar have strongly condemned former AIADMK Minister C Ve Shanmugam's sexist remarks on actor Nayanthara. The Rajya Sabha MP has come under massive fire for his comments that he made during a political event in Viluppuram with many in the political fraternity and general public pointing out his "distasteful" jibe at the actor.

Taking to her X handle, Khushbu slammed the politician's words, calling it a "disgrace to humanity". She pointed out that women and female actors are neither their property nor their "punching bag to be dragged into conversations".

For the unversed, C Ve Shanmugam had earlier on Tuesday said, "The Chief Minister asks us to state our dreams. I want actress Nayanthara. Will he give her?. Someone will say, 'Marry me with Nayanthara.' Will be fulfil that dream?".

"The name of a female actor is not a tool for cheap jokes, petty insults, or to justify someone’s argument. Using a woman’s identity to mock others or prove a point only reveals the speaker’s mindset and upbringing,” she added, questioning whether he would have made the same remark if it had been a woman from his own family.

On the other hand, Sarath Kumar pointed out the irony in the issue as C Ve Shanmugam's comments were made during a protest conducted by the AIADMK–NDA alliance condemning the DMK government for failing to prevent incidents of sexual violence in the state.

He explained how it had become a "common practice" to "casually cite and insult women from the film industry." Although the politician had later apologised for his statements, Sarath Kumar underlined, "It is important that no one speaks in such a manner in the future."

Several other noted politicians including DMK MPs Kanimozhi and Thamizhachi Thangapandian had criticised C Ve Shanmugam's words. Many on social media also hit back at his words and urged leader of opposition and former CM Edappadi K Palaniswami to take action against him for his "insensitive" remarks.

The South Indian Film Artistes Association (SIAA) had also weighed in on the controversy, voicing its displeasure on his words. It emphasised that while political parties have the freedom to express their ideologies during elections, elected representatives are expected to uphold dignity and responsibility in their public statements.