A major controversy has erupted around Vijay TV’s popular cookery‑comedy show Cook with Comali (CWC) Season 7, with Ma Ka Pa Anand, Pugazh, and Gana Vinoth on one side and the so‑called “Watermelon Star” Diwakar on the other, now escalating to a police complaint and mutual public accusations. The incident allegedly took place at the Film City shoot of CWC, and both sides have since held separate press meets, claiming the other party is at fault.
What Diwakar has alleged
Bigg Boss‑fame actor and social‑media personality Diwakar (nicknamed “Watermelon Star”) has filed a police complaint against Ma Ka Pa Anand, Pugazh, and Gana Vinoth, accusing them of physical assault and threat to life during the CWC Season 7 shoot. Diwakar claims that on the set, Ma Ka Pa Anand, under the influence of alcohol, struck him with an iron rod, causing a bleeding leg injury, and that Pugazh and Gana Vinoth joined in verbally abusing and threatening him.
He has also alleged that Gana Vinoth later threatened him with his “Chennai connections”, hinting he would find it hard to work in the city if he pushed the matter further. Diwakar’s supporters say he walked off the set hurt and shaken, and that he recorded the incident and surrounding interactions, which he later partly released in short videos, fuelling the controversy.
Ma Ka Pa Anand’s counter‑claims
In response, Ma Ka Pa Anand has strongly denied the assault allegations, calling them false and fabricated. He has stated that the reason Diwakar was removed from the show was not because of any on‑set attack, but because Diwakar verbally abused a woman on set and used caste‑based slurs, which Anand found unacceptable and reported to the production team. Anand has also questioned how he could have been drunk and working an 18‑hour‑a‑day shoot schedule, explicitly denying the iron‑rod‑attack claim.
Pugazh and Gana Vinoth have similarly hit back, describing Diwakar’s complaint as a media‑driven exaggeration and stating that the only disputes were verbal and stemmed from creative or personal clashes during the shoot.
What this means for Cook with Comali and TV
The row has now entered the legal domain, with the Nasrathpettai police and the Chennai Police Commissioner’s office receiving the complaint, and industry bodies are watching closely as the case unfolds. The CWC team has not yet announced a formal decision on Diwakar’s participation in Season 7, but the show’s reputation as a light‑hearted, family‑oriented programme has taken a hit.
For fans, the episode highlights how reality‑TV and cookery‑comedy formats can blur the line between entertainment and on‑set conflict, and how personal grievances can escalate into public spats and legal battles. Until the authorities complete their investigation, both sides’ narratives will continue to circulate, with viewers left to weigh Diwakar’s police‑backed allegations against Ma Ka Pa Anand’s sharp denials.
–Samuthiran
