Actor Master Mahendran has responded to the criticism surrounding his recent remarks on Chennai’s recurring power outages, stating that his comments were taken out of context and reiterating that he stands by what he originally said.
Addressing the backlash through a statement, Mahendran said short video clips circulating on social media did not capture his complete remarks and led to a misunderstanding. He also clarified that his comments were not politically motivated.
“I do not belong to any political party. The opinions I expressed in short videos shared on social media do not reflect my full statement. That is where the problem lies,” he said.
Explaining his position, Mahendran said his comments were intended to address electricity shortages and possible long-term solutions rather than dismiss public concerns. According to him, he had suggested that solar power could be an effective way to meet growing electricity demand and questioned why Tamil Nadu could not adopt models similar to the solar-powered operations implemented at Cochin International Airport.
He further defended his stance, saying those criticising him had misunderstood his remarks. “Those who are criticising me are reacting without knowing the truth. Those who misunderstood my comments are making assumptions. I stand firm in my opinion,” he said.
The clarification comes days after the actor drew criticism online over comments made during a recent interaction about frequent power cuts reported across Chennai.
Responding to questions on recurring outages, Mahendran had said people should be willing to tolerate the situation for a few months and questioned why the issue was being repeatedly raised. He had also remarked that people had enjoyed uninterrupted power supply for years and asked whether speaking about the issue in front of microphones would solve it, comments that triggered strong reactions on social media.
Many users criticised the actor for appearing dismissive of residents’ concerns and questioned whether such disruptions could realistically be tolerated for months. He also faced backlash for blindly supporting the ruling government, TVK.
Mahendran, who began his career as a child artiste with Nattamai (1994), later appeared in films including Coimbatore Mappillai and Natpukkaga before transitioning to lead roles with Vizha. He is also known for playing the younger version of Vijay Sethupathi’s character in Master and was recently seen in 29.
