# Shivarajkumar defends calling younger actor ‘sir’ 2026-08-25T16:05:27+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Kannada star Shivarajkumar has responded to online debate over his decision to address Tamil actor Pradeep Ranganathan as 'sir' at the Ananda Vikatan Awards in Tamil Nadu. Speaking to TV9 Kannada, Shivarajkumar said respect is not tied to age and that he was raised by his father, legendary actor Dr Rajkumar, to treat everyone courteously. 'From a young age, we have been taught to respect everyone,' he said, adding that he sees nothing wrong with using the term for someone younger. Shivarajkumar traced his stance to family values: 'In our family, we have always spoken respectfully. We were never taught to address people lightly or look down on anyone.' He dismissed the criticism with a smile, saying critics are free to continue if it makes them happy. The actor had praised Pradeep's work while presenting an award at the event. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All three sources report the same facts and quotes from Shivarajkumar's interview with TV9 Kannada, with no significant variation in framing. Cinema Express and NDTV lead with his defence, while Times of India provides additional context about his career legacy. None of the outlets question or editorialise the controversy itself. The uniform coverage suggests the 'debate' was largely a social media ripple rather than a substantive industry divide. The actor's response, grounded in his father's influence, effectively closed the topic. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - cinemaexpress.com (neutral report) Straightforward report of Shivarajkumar's statement, no editorialising - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Adds career context but no slant, pure news report - ndtv.com (neutral report) Presents actor's full response without commentary This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-26T16:21:20+00:00. Tags: Dr Rajkumar, Kannada cinema, Pradeep Ranganathan, Shivarajkumar, Tamil cinema Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/shivarajkumar-defends-calling-younger-actor-sir/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/shivarajkumar-defends-calling-younger-actor-sir/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/