Ravichandran is livid that his son Manu has been accused of leading a wayward life

RAVICHANDRAN is not unused to controversy. So in the actor’s words, he “doesn’t care a thing about them”. But when it involves his family it’s different. The actor is spewing fire because his eldest son, Manu, is now in the midst of a controversy. A local tabloid - 'hi bengaluru' - recently did a cover story on Manu’s reported dalliance with wannabe actress, Shruti Swami, who’s apparently older than Manu. The tabloid has further accused the
actor’s son of indulging in “unmentionable activities”. “Manu visits Shruti’s home in Rajajinagar with a bunch of his friends and they party till the wee hours, which hasn’t gone down well with Shruti’s neighbours. They even wanted to call the cops on many occasions,” the tabloid has reported. Another rumour that’s doing the rounds is that there’s been a rift in the Ravichandran family. When BT called Ravichandran in the wake of the report, he was furious. “I’m not hassled by such rumours as long as they’re confined to me. The media can say what they want, link me with who they like, but my fans know the real me and have always known the truth. But why involve my family in such ugly matters? Don’t drag my wife and kids into such controversies,” states an angry Ravichandran.
So what does he have to say about the allegations made against his son Manu? “The socalled lifestyle they say my son has is totally false. This controversy has been cooked up by someone who wants to ruin my name. C’mon, they haven’t even got the name of his college
right,” he says, adding, “But I’ve always been true to myself and expect the same of my kids. So the first thing I did when I read the report was to ask Manu if it was true. I told him that if it was true, I wouldn’t support him. But if it wasn’t, I’d go to any length to protect him and my family. Manu swore that he was in no way connected to that girl, so I’ve taken his word for it and as a father will stand by him. People can say what they want and my family will weather this storm.”
He says it’s unfair of the media to involve a celebrity’s family in any controversy. “I do my best to keep my wife and kids away from the limelight and lead a normal life. But I guess it’s a lesson for my kids to be doubly careful in future because it isn’t easy being the kids of a celebrity. At the end of the day, we’re a happy family,” reiterates the Crazy Star.