Cinema VinesMalayalam television anchor Daksha Raveendranath has finally spoken out over a clash with veteran actress Urvashi that erupted at the pre‑launch of the multilingual film “Aasha” in Kochi. The incident took place at Lulu Mall, where Daksha was hosting the event when Urvashi interrupted her on stage and questioned her decision to speak in English at a gathering in Kerala.
What began as what many saw as a light‑hearted exchange quickly spiralled into a social‑media debate. Daksha, who had chosen to remain silent for a while out of deep respect for Urvashi, felt compelled to respond after the controversy began to affect her mental well‑being and threatened the career she has built over the last five years.
In a detailed video posted to her social media, Daksha clarified that she had been instructed by the organisers to use a mix of English and Malayalam. She explained that “Aasha” is a pan‑Indian film that will be released in five languages, and that Lulu Mall attracts visitors from all over the country, making a bilingual approach sensible. She added that she had specifically been asked to “season the event with English” to cater to a diverse audience.
Urvashi’s interruption was later explained by the actress, who said she had noticed an elderly woman in the audience gesturing that the event should be conducted in Malayalam. Daksha disputed this claim, noting that it would have been difficult to see such a small gesture from behind security barricades and that no such interaction was visible in the event footage. She suggested that if a request had been made, the organisers could have simply called her aside to convey it.
Addressing the criticism that she did not confront Urvashi on stage, Daksha said her experience as an anchor—having hosted more than a thousand events over five years—taught her to keep personal feelings aside and focus on running the event smoothly. She added that her primary responsibility was to ensure the event proceeded without disruption.
