Update as of Mar 4:
In response to TISG’s queries, Selva said:
“There have been troubling allegations surfacing recently. I simply wish to say, I did not send any inappropriate message via Facebook.
I believe my account was hacked before this incident, which I was not aware off. I am currently seeking legal advice on the next appropriate course of actions.
I fully intent to get to the bottom of this. It is regrettable that I am accused in this way. (G Selva)”
Singapore — A freelance actor seen on Mediacorp’s Vasantham has been accused of trying to solicit sexual favours from a man looking to join his theatre company.
G Selvananthan, also known as Selva, is the founder and Artistic Director of Avant Theatre & Language. He is known for his roles on Vasantham, the television channel owned by Mediacorp that is focused on the Indian Singaporean community.
A series of screenshots of messages posted on Facebook by one Dev Muthu showed the alleged conversations between him and Selva from Dec 30 last year to Feb 23 this year.
In his post on Tuesday (March 2), Mr Dev wrote that he was an aspiring actor who auditioned with Selva. “After few days he (Selva) msged me saying he had a role for me in his theatre drama he’s (sic) producing in the coming months”, Mr Dev wrote.
Right off the bat, the messages purportedly from Selva were sexual in nature, such as “Saw your recent body shot nice n sexy”.
According to the screenshots, he also told Mr Dev that he was “Not too bad for a underwear model” and propositioned him for a “private show”.
In one of the messages, Mr Dev asked: “Hi sir, what must I do in order to make it to the main screen on vasantham?”
To this, Selva seemingly replied: “Sleep with ppl ….haha”.
Continuing the conversation about a “private show”, a message purportedly from Selva to Mr Dev said: “Let’s do it …. Show me what you have …. Love to see it”.
The screenshots shared by Mr Dev also showed lewd propositions allegedly from Selva.
In an update two hours after his initial post, Mr Dev shared a screenshot where Selva posted on his Facebook page that his account had been hacked.
Mr Dev also shared another message from Selva: “Dev, I am not sure why you are using my name and company details but its a violation of my PDPA rights”.
“This can be investigated privately by both parties so please take down the post or if not, i would be taking legal action on you if necessary”, Selva wrote.
In response to TISG’s queries, a spokesperson from Avant Theatre & Language said: “The matter is being consulted with a lawyer and we will heed to his advice on what to do next. Thank You”.
Additionally, a spokesperson from Mediacorp responded adding: “We are aware of a social media post concerning G Selvananthan, a freelance artiste who appears on Vasantham. The post suggests that G Selvananthan is in a position to influence casting decisions for shows on Vasantham. Mediacorp would like to state categorically that G Selvananthan and his theatre company do not have any influence – direct or indirect – on the casting for any production for Vasantham.”
TISG has also reached out to Mr Dev for comment and clarification. /TISG