Ashwin Kumar is a well-known Tamil actor who rose to prominence after appearing on the popular Vijay TV show 'Cooku with Comali.' Recently, the actor wrapped up filming for his debut film 'Enna Solla Pogirai', written and directed by A Hariharan.

During the audio launch of the film, Ashwin made a controversial statement that has sparked debate on social media and in the film fraternity.

He said, "If I don't like it during the narration, I'll fall asleep. Actually, I slept off while listening to 40 stories from 40 different directors."

Following the viral speech, trolls and memes featuring Ashwin started making rounds on social media. It's said that some directors were also enraged with his statement. Addressing the issue, Ashwin has provided a lengthy explanation to the media.

“I was absolutely nervous as this is my first big event. I hadn’t prepared any speech and was completely distorted by the love my fans showered on me. I didn’t intend to disrespect any of the directors, who narrated stories to me. I never imagined that my speech would backfire this badly. I understand the emotions behind it. However, it was unintentional,” he said in a recent interview.

He also admitted that he inflated the numbers and have never listened to 40 stories before.

"We all come up with random numbers when we talk to friends or relatives. I shouldn’t have taken the same liberty on the stage,” he added.

The actor claimed that he's being singled out and the issue has been blown out of proportion.

"I am being a victim of hate by a few people whose films I turned down. They need to understand that it wasn’t out of disrespect,” Ashwin said.

Source: DT Next
Photo Credit: Indiaglitz