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Months after Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko slammed his co-star Samyuktha by dragging in her move to drop her caste surname for allegedly not taking part in the promotional activities of their film Boomerang, the Kaduva actor said that his barbs hurt her.
Responding to a question by a reporter during the promotion of her Telugu movie Virupaksha, the Malayalam version of which will hit theatres on May 5, Samyuktha said: “Of all the things Shine Tom Chacko said during that time, the one which hurt me the most was his comments on my decision to get rid of my caste surname. I took that decision in a very progressive manner. I knew people wouldn’t stop referring to me by my full name immediately after I dropped my surname. It would take time. I took the decision as I was disgusted by it, especially when I visited other cities like Chennai for film promotions.”
“Kerala is a land filled with people who think very progressively. Hence, even if my move might have surprised you, it’s not the case in general. Scores of people have taken a similar step over the years. Questioning my said move in a totally unrelated context and situation hurt me,” she added.
Ahead of the release of Boomerang in February 2023, Shine Tom Chacko and the producers of the film had alleged that Samyuktha was not cooperating with the promotional activities of the film. This happened soon after the Vaathi actor announced her decision to drop her caste surname. When, during a press meet, one of the reporters asked Shine Tom Chacko what he thought about his co-star’s move, the Neelavelicham star fired a salvo at her wondering what significance it bore if someone couldn’t understand other human beings and complete the responsibility they took up.
“Just by changing your name, you won’t become a good person after skipping the promotion of the film you acted in. If we take up a job, we also have the moral responsibility to complete it. Hence, how does it matter if you are Nair, Menon, Christian or Muslim? You should understand and empathise with fellow human beings first, the rest comes only afterwards,” Chacko had said back then.
During an interview ahead of the release of her Tamil-Telugu bilingual film Vaathi (Sir), Samyuktha had narrated to indianexpress.com how she arrived at the decision to get rid of her surname: “I had been asking production houses and everyone for a year now to not use my surname. Yet, they keep calling me Samyuktha Menon. When I came to Chennai for promotions of Vaathi, during one interaction, a journalist called me Samyuktha Menon, and I politely requested the person to just call me Samyuktha, and that became news and a point of discussion. I am very glad that the discussion is happening because I want the whole caste system to be gone, and I am glad I am playing a part in bringing about that debate.”
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