Divya Bharathi Fires Back: Actress Slams Ex-Director for Calling Her ‘Chilaka’!

Actress Furious After Former Director Calls Her ‘Chilaka’

Goat is one of the upcoming Telugu films starring Sudigali Sudheer in the lead role. The film was initially announced with director Narresh K Lee, but he has reportedly been removed from the project. Although the movie began recently, it is now progressing without the original director.

After being dropped, the director has been expressing his frustration on social media, especially targeting the lead actors. In one of his comments on X, he referred to the film’s heroine Divya Bharathi as “Chilaka,” a remark she found insulting and unnecessary.

Divya Bharathi has often been surrounded by controversies—she was previously linked to a co-actor and was speculated to have issues with some teams. However, Divya clarified that she spoke up this time only because she was pulled into the issue without reason and felt the term “Chilaka” was derogatory.

She shared a powerful note:

“Calling women ‘Chilaka’ or any such term is not a harmless joke; it reflects deep-rooted misogyny. This director behaved the same way on set too, repeatedly disrespecting women and undermining the art he claims to create. What disappointed me the most was seeing the hero stay silent, letting this toxic culture survive.
I choose better. I choose workspaces where women aren’t targets for mockery and where respect is non-negotiable. This is my standard as an artist and as a woman.”

Later, she clarified again that she does not have issues with everyone—only with this director.

“For those saying I ‘always have issues,’ here are the facts: I have worked repeatedly with the same teams and actors in Tamil cinema without any conflicts. Only this director crossed limits and made disrespectful comments. He made it public, so I have every right to respond. If someone still wants to defend such behaviour, that’s their choice. I’m not losing sleep over it. If anyone speaks poorly about me, I still wish them well.”

Many netizens are extending strong support to Divya Bharathi, while the director remains silent about what happens next.