Chandu Salimkumar slams Vinayakan: “Same person who praised my father now criticises him”

A Facebook post by actor Vinayakan has triggered sharp reactions in the Malayalam film industry, particularly from Chandu Salimkumar, son of veteran actor Salim Kumar.


Vinayakan, in a now-deleted post shared on the last day, said against individuals who speak out against drug abuse, mocking them as “alcohol addicts” who have “ruined all their organs” yet preach to the youth.


His controversial post equated alcohol, cannabis, and even women as intoxicants, questioning the credibility of those attempting to raise awareness.

Vinayakan also called such people “dead bodies” who should stay away from public platforms and claimed cinema itself was a drug, accusing others of trying to push their children into the industry for profit.

Soon after the post went viral, and later deleted, the netizens started speculating whether the ‘Jailer’ actor was aiming at Salim Kumar.



Chandu Salim Kumar’s response - ‘When Vinayakan first met me…’


Chandu Salimkumar hit back directly in a Facebook thread. Recalling a personal interaction, Chandu wrote, “When Vinayakan first met me, he said, ‘These so-called senior actors always kept me at a distance. But your father… he was the only one who stood by me.’ That’s the kind of person my father is. And now, the same person is saying all this.”

Chandu called out Vinayakan’s contradictory behaviour, noting that his current stance disregards the compassion once shown to him. He added that people battling addiction and striving to recover deserve to speak about their experiences and spread awareness. “Only those who’ve lived through it know its true impact,” he wrote.
“If someone made a remark about your mother or sister…”


Chandu also took issue with the implications of Vinayakan’s messaging at public events. “You can’t go to community programs and say, ‘Everyone go drink and ruin your liver like I did,’” he said.

He emphasized that people are trying to rebuild their lives and that condemning their efforts sends a dangerous message.

Chandu questioned whether speaking against drug use is now considered a crime and closed his rebuttal with a pointed analogy: “If someone made a remark about your mother or sister at home, would you say it’s just the language? You wouldn’t. Then why make light of this?”

On the work front, Vinayakan will be next seen in Mammootty’s ‘Kalamkaval’.