Some months back, anchor Lakshmi Nakshathra shared a video on her YouTube channel which turned viral in no time. The video showed how the anchor turned the scent of the late Kollam Sudhi into a bottled perfume. This was gifted to Sudhi’s family and everything was filmed and posted on the YouTube channel.

It was Yusuf, a Malayali in Dubai who turned the scent into perfume. Sudhi’s wife Renu had safely kept the late actor’s shirt, which he wore during his final moments. Renu then approached Laskhmi with a request to turn the scent into perfume. Soon, Lakshmi chanced upon a visit to Dubai and the anchor fulfilled the wish of Sudhi’s widow.

However, it was a different story after the video was uploaded on YouTube. Severe criticism came from all quarters alleging Lakshmi Nakshathra of milking money using Sudhi’s unfortunate death. Now actor Saju Navodaya, Sudhi’s close friend, has come out against Lakshmi in an interview given to an online media.

Anchor’s question: Lakshmi Nakshathra’s perfume video was controversial. Many criticized the anchor for shamelessly using Sudhi’s death to mint profits through her YouTube channel. What do you think?

Saju: If a good section of people found fault in that video, then there might be something out of place. If you are sure of receiving flak and still decide to upload the video, then the person deserves all criticism. There is no point in finding fault with people.

She could have done the same covertly and handed the perfume to the family. Or, it would have been justified if the video was filmed without her knowledge, like in a casual way. However, this looked like a well-planned video and came out as a vlog. The video was not genuine.”