Ashwin Kumar slams reporter at ‘Hot Spot 2 Much’ press meet over 2022 audio launch ‘sleeping’ controversy

Actor Ashwin Kumar who is awaiting the release of the film ‘Hot Spot 2 Much’ directed by Vignesh Karthick on January 23 faced an intense questioning from the media regarding a past controversy.

The film’s press meet that was attended by the main lead of the film, Priya Bhavani Shankar, as well leading actors, MS Bhaskar, Thambi Ramaiah, Sanjana Tiwari, and Bhavani Sre, was essentially to promote the said film.

However, when a reporter at the press event questioned Ashwin Kumar about an earlier comment he had made over an alleged practice of “sleeping” during script narration, which had courted backlash at the time, all eyes turned on the actor.

Reporter questions Ashwin Kumar on past controversy

With reference to an earlier controversy, the reporter questioned Ashwin Kumar whether he “slept or stayed awake” while listening to the narration. The question annoyed the actor who was quick to respond that the number he had used earlier was merely a benchmark and not meant as a derision to anybody. He posed a question in return if there ever was anyone who hadn’t fought against sleep when listening to a story, taunting that even the audiences have slept inside theatres during screening of films.

Ashwin also reminded the media that he had issued a video explaining his comment and questioned as to why was the same topic being constantly brought up, hinting that it feels like a targeted provocation.

Clarifying an old controversy

This controversy dates back to the audio launch of the 2022 movie 'Enna Solla Pogirai,' where Ashwin Kumar stated that he had taken a nap while reading through various poorly written scripts. This led to a social media uproar, after which he had issued an apology video stating that it was never his intention to offend other directors and writers.

Interestingly, in a satirical move, director Vignesh Karthick has directly referenced the incident in the 'Hot Spot 2 Much' trailer.

The trailer even shows a character teasing Ashwin’s role about falling asleep, suggesting the filmmakers have chosen to embrace the controversy with humor rather than shying away from it.

What lies ahead for Ashwin Kumar?

Emphasizing on his progress, Ashwin Kumar mentioned he still considers himself an unlearned actor and that every film continues to contribute to his career. He clarified that the learning process is perpetual, including his current work with Vignesh Karthick. 'Hot Spot 2 Much', an extension to the 2024 anthology 'Hot Spot', is set to follow a same approach, dealing with topics that are indeed considered taboo, through 4 stories that are woven in, set in a variety of different locations.

'Hot Spot 2 Much' is set to hit big screens on January 23 alongside 'Draupathi 2' and 'Mankatha'.