On Monday, June 26, actor-politician Kamal Hassan gifted a car to Sharmila, the first female private bus driver from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Shamila lost her job on June 23 due to a controversy over a ticket issue with DMK MP Kanimozhi. Shamila issued a travel ticket to the MP, after which an argument rose between Shamla and the bus conductor, who was accused of being rude to the MP. Following the incident, Shamila was also accused of inviting celebrities to her bus for publicity by the bus owner and was fired from her job.
Sharmila released a press statement saying that Kanimozhi got off the bus before she reached her destination and that she had profusely apologised to the DMK MP on behalf of her colleague. Meanwhile, the owner accused Shamila of inviting celebrities without informing the management, saying that if they had known that Kanimozhi was going to board the bus, they would have made proper arrangements. Shamila refuted these claims, stating that she had informed the management one day before the journey.
Kamal Hassan, through a press release, said that “Kamal Cultural Centre donates a new car to Sharmila for her to retrace her journey as a rental car driving entrepreneur. As a society, I believe that we should stand by women who have been suppressed for years…”
"I wish to stand next to women and help them break the barriers that had held them back for centuries," the Vikram actor expressed, adding that "Sharmila should not remain a mere driver. My belief is to create many Sharmilas."