ONV Cultural Academy to reconsider award given to #MeToo accused Vairamuthu after backlash

The ONV award given to Vairamuthu is under reconsideration after many prominent cinema personalities criticised the decision to honour the Tamil poet-lyricist, who was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women in 2018 at the height of India's #MeToo.In a statement issued on 28 May, the chairman of the ONV Cultural Academy Adoor Goaplakrishan said jury is reconsidering the award. Adoor is a renowned director in the Malayalam film industry.The award, constituted in the memory of late legendary poet ONV Kurup, is given to poets from Malayalam and other Indian languages by the ONV Cultural Academy and comprises a cash prize of Rs 3,00,000 and a citation.The winner of the award was selected by the jury, which included Malayalam University vice chancellor Anil Vallathol and poets Alankode Leelakrishnan and Prabha Varma.Actor Parvathy Thiruvothu was among those who voiced their opposition to the honour awarded to Vairamuthu on Wednesday (26 May).Without taking his name, the 33-year-old actor wrote on Twitter that the poet ONV Kurup is ‘our pride.’ She further said that ONV’s contribution as a poet and lyricist is incomparable and the minds and souls of people have benefitted through ONV’s work. Parvathy said that this is the reason why it is disrespectful to give an award in his name to someone who has been accused of sexual assault. In her Instagram post, the actor stated Vairamuthu’s name and questioned the committee which awarded him, even though he has been accused of sexual harassment by 17 women. The actor also weighed in on the art vs artist debate, saying that for her the humanity of the person creating the art is the only thing that matters.Here is Parvathy's postSinger Chinmayi Sripaada, who was among the women who accused Vairamuthu of sexual harassment, thanked Parvathy for raising her voice.Actor Geetu Mohandas posted, "An award in the name of one of our greatest literary figure shouldn’t go to a man accused by 17 women of sexual harassment . In solidarity with you @chinmayisripaada"Writer-filmmaker Anjali Menon had also questioned the ONV Literary Award selection committee. Vairamuthu has denied the allegations levelled against him, calling them "totally false" and "motivated".(With inputs from Press Trust of India)