Vijay Antony Reacts To Accusations Of Romeo Promoting Alcoholism Among Women
Vijay Antony was questioned about the poster of Romeo, in which the female lead Mrinalini is seen fixing herself a drink while he is holding a glass of milk.
- Entertainment News
- 2 min read
Vijay Antony, who was last seen in 2023 Tamil film Kolai, is now scheduled to star in Vinayak Vaithianathan’s Romeo. Ahead of the release, the makers of the movie recently held a press conference with the entire team of Romeo in Chennai where they answered some of the queries regarding their upcoming project. In the same interaction, Antony was questioned about the poster of the film, in which Mrinalini and Antony can be seen spending their first night together seated on a decked bed. In the poster, the female lead is seen fixing herself a drink while Antony, holding a glass of milk, is seen staring at her with disapproval.
Vijay Antony defends Romeo’s poster
During the film's press conference, Antony was questioned about Romeo, which appeared to be encouraging drinking in women. Responding to the accusations, Antony said, “Let’s not demarcate that alcohol is only for men. Drinking is for everyone. If men can drink, women too can. I am not promoting drinking. Just saying everything is common for both men and women. If we are to say it is wrong to drink, we should tell it to both genders.”
When asked if the movie was attempting to make the argument that women are drinking because of the IT revolution. Antony stated, “Nothing like that. We have been drinking for a long time. We used to drink ‘sarayam’ (now banned in Tamil Nadu). Now, we drink different things. Two thousand years before, even Jesus (Christ) drank wine.”
Leo’s drug promotion controversy
This is not the first time a film has come under fire for promoting unhealthy habits like drinking and smoking. Previously, Vijay starrer Leo also drew backlash for promoting smoking. A social activist from Chennai complained that the actor was encouraging drug use in the movie’s song Naa Ready.
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Given their concerns, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) ordered the film's producers to remove some of the lyrics and scenes from the track that refer to smoking and alcohol use. A poster of the film in which Vijay was seen smoking was also altered before the film's release.