Women’s Commission has issued a notice to actor Shivaji regarding his comments on the attire of actresses.
The Women’s Commission has issued a notice to Telugu actor Sivaji over his comments on women’s attire, and asked him to appear before the panel on December 27. Following the reaction on social media, Shivaji apologized, saying that his words were wrongly chosen, although he did not intend to insult anyone.
The Women’s Commission has taken serious note of Telugu actor Sivaji’s comments and issued a notice directing him to appear in person before the panel on December 27, 2025.
Part of the notice reads, “The above statement appears to be derogatory towards women in general and women of Telangana in particular, prima facie it is found that you have made such statement knowingly with the intention of defaming women in the society. As such, this Commission has taken suo motu cognizance and accordingly decided to investigate under Section 16 (1) (b) of the Telangana Women Commission Act 1998 (sic).”
The action comes after comments made by Shivaji during the pre-release event of the film dhandoraWhere he addressed the female anchor by commenting on her saree on the stage. He then extended his comments to female actors generally, urging them to dress “conservatively” and discouraging the use of what he called revealing costumes.
Here is the notice:
During his speech, Shivaji said that women should choose sarees or fully covered dresses, claiming that “beauty lies in full dress and not in displaying material wealth.” She further commented, suggesting that women who dress differently are praised in public but mocked in private. These comments were immediately criticized on social media as being sexist and inappropriate.
Shivaji compared women to nature and motherhood, saying that women deserved respect only if they were “as beautiful as nature.” She cited examples of female artists past and present, claiming that they are respected both for their work and their modest attire.
Watch the video here:
Following the backlash, Shivaji issued a public apology on Tuesday, admitting that his choice of words was inappropriate. He said that although he intended to speak positively, he ultimately used “unparliamentary words”.
In his clarification, he said, “I was not referring to all women. My intention was not to insult or humiliate anyone.” Shivaji said that what he meant was that women should be careful about their choice of clothing in public, suggesting that this could help them avoid difficult situations, but he acknowledged that his comments were poorly presented.
He said, “I had good intentions, but it would have been better if these words had not gone out. Other than saying something nice, I had no intention of insulting or insulting anyone.”
Here is the video:
Shivaji was recently seen playing the role of a villain in the film courtThe Women’s Commission has not yet commented on further action following her appearance before the panel,