Radikaa Sarathkumar Calls For Dignity At Funeral
Actor Radikaa Sarathkumar has strongly criticised the behaviour of paparazzi and onlookers during the funeral of veteran filmmaker K Bhagyaraj in Chennai. She said a funeral should remain a moment of farewell and mourning, not a place for content creation or intrusive recording.
Bhagyaraj passed away on June 27 in Chennai after suffering a cardiac arrest at the age of 73. His final rites were held on June 28 at Besant Nagar crematorium, where he was cremated with full state honours. Several actors, filmmakers and technicians from Tamil cinema attended the funeral to pay their last respects.
During the proceedings, Radikaa was seen confronting people who continued to film and zoom in on Bhagyaraj’s grieving family members. Videos from the funeral showed emotional scenes as family members and close friends struggled with the sudden loss. Radikaa objected to people taking selfies and recording close-up visuals during such a sensitive moment.
She later responded to the issue on social media and agreed with posts that criticised the conduct of some paparazzi and onlookers. Speaking about the incident, she said there must be a clear line between media coverage and personal grief. Her statement that a funeral is a farewell and not a photo opportunity has received wide attention online.
Industry Voices Demand Privacy Rules
Radikaa also urged authorities to introduce proper protocols for media coverage during funerals and deeply personal events. She said the situation at Bhagyaraj’s funeral had turned into a circus because of excessive recording and lack of restraint. In another post, she suggested that there should be restrictions on paparazzi during such occasions.
Actor Suhasini Mani Ratnam was also seen intervening during the funeral procession after people were seen recording Bhagyaraj’s wife Poornima and other family members inside the hearse van. Other members of the film industry, including Parthiban, also requested the media to cooperate and avoid intrusive coverage.
This was not the first time Radikaa had appealed for privacy at a funeral. Earlier in June, during filmmaker Bharathiraja’s funeral, she had made a similar request to the media. When Bhagyaraj’s body was brought home on June 27, she folded her hands and asked the press to give the family space, reminding them that cinema may be their profession but artists are humans first.
Bhagyaraj was one of Tamil cinema’s most respected filmmakers, known for his middle-class stories, sharp writing and memorable characters. His death has left the industry in grief. However, the controversy around funeral coverage has sparked a wider debate on media ethics, celebrity privacy and the need for compassion during moments of personal loss.
