Suriya body-shamed by two VJs: Has abuse and insult become humour today?

Actor Suriya’s height has been the subject of many a meme, especially after the actor chose to star in Singham with Anushka Shetty, who is taller than him.

In Thaana Serndha Koottam (TSK), Suriya delivers this dialogue, “It is not important how tall you are, but how high you have reached in life.” This was his response to every meme and troll out there who have been making fun of the actor’s height. Two VJs who host the segment Franka Sollata (Shall I be honest?) were talking about Suriya’s upcoming movie with KV Anand. One of them begins by giving the audience information about the film and mentions that Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan was approached for to play a part in the film.

The second anchor smirks and asks is there no one in Kollywood who can play the role? She also says how Suriya would have to use a stool to talk to Bachchan or the entire shoot would have to be done while Big B was seated. This left many in the industry shocked over what is considered humour today. Actor Vishal shared the video and tweeted, “Funny !! ???? Absolutely not. How unethical in the name of sense of humour. Totally senseless.”

The director of Thaana Serndha Koottam, Vignesh Shivn tweeted, “These days..Film industry has becum such a soft target for every1. There is no respect for such a dignified man somethin needs to be done (sic).”

As the industry stands up for one of the biggest stars in the industry, we wonder if this brand of humour has been propagated by the films that stars the same actors? Body-shaming has become a fodder for comedians in films today. Case in point, TSK where jokes on comedian Yogi Babu’s looks are used to elicit laughter from the audience. In essence, a man here is being body-shamed for some laughs. It is not just Yogi Babu, but comediennes like Vidyu Raman have also been the butt of such jokes. If one were to argue that they were just jokes, why are people pointing fingers at the VJs? For, it is the same sort of jokes.

Popular for his 2 minute reviews, Kishen Das, tweeted, “You think his height matters? Look at his filmography, he’s done a mixture of amazing off beat and commercially successful films. If height ever mattered then he wouldn’t be one of our biggest stars. Very very cheap.”

He also adds that one should mock an actor for his acting, and not mock him for his appearance. “Mock an actor for his acting. Mock someone for something they do. Don’t body shame. People made fun of Surya Sir during Anjaam for selecting such a script. That was something he could’ve controlled. How someone looks or how tall they are is beyond control. Stop body shaming.”

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