Radikaa Sarathkumar Blasts Paps at K Bhagyaraj Funeral

Actress Radikaa Sarathkumar publicly condemned the insensitive behaviour of attendees at the funeral of veteran Tamil actor-director K. Bhagyaraj. She attended the ceremony to pay her last respects to the legendary filmmaker. K Bhagyaraj died on June 27 in Chennai after suffering a cardiac arrest at the age of 73. He was cremated with state honours on June 28, with actors and technicians from Tamil cinema lining up at Besant Nagar crematorium to offer their regards.

Sharing a video on Instagram Stories, Radikaa also agreed with a post that criticised the behaviour of some onlookers and paparazzi. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, she emphasised, “There has to be a line. A funeral is a farewell, not a photo opportunity. At some point, compassion must be greater than content.”

A Call For Privacy

On Monday, she paid a tribute to K Bhagyaraj in a post on X, where she underlined how that the solemn moment is being turned into a circus. She exhorted the government to stipulate several protocols for media coverage. In another post, she added that there should be a restraining order for paps.

Actor Suhasini Mani Ratnam was also seen intervening during the funeral procession after people were seen recording visuals of Bhagyaraj’s wife Poornima and the family inside the hearse van. In a video from the K Bhagyaraj funeral function, Suhasini can be seen shoving media personnel who attempted to capture the event. At one point, Suhasini can also be heard saying, "I will give you a tight slap with a slipper."

This was not the first time Radikaa had appealed for restraint during a veteran filmmaker’s funeral. During Bharathiraja’s funeral earlier in June, she had requested the media to give the family space. When Bhagyaraj’s body was brought home on June 27, she once again folded her hands and appealed for privacy.

“A humble request to all the press here. Cinema is our occupation, but we are also humans at the end of the day. If you want drama for the sake of TRP ratings, I will deliver that. Please, give us some privacy,” she said. She called out attendees who shoved mobile phones to take selfies and photos with grieving celebrities. The actress expressed her frustration publicly, urging the crowd to display basic respect and sensitivity during a time of mourning. This incident reflects a growing, controversial trend where selfie-seeking at high-profile celebrity funerals continues to disrupt solemn occasions across the film industry.