Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar has strongly defended her daughters, Avantika and Anandita, after they were subjected to online trolling over their appearance following Anandita's recent wedding. 

In a strongly worded post on X, Khushbu said she would not remain silent when her family was being targeted and warned that her silence should never be mistaken for acceptance.

Hitting back at the trolls, the actor began by reflecting on her family's journey, saying it had been built on years of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. Describing the bond within her family as one founded on "love, trust and understanding," she said her daughters had been raised with humility despite growing up in the public eye and had never misused their identity as celebrity children.

"This is my family. Built on love, trust and understanding. We have struggled, worked hard through our bones, bled and sweated to be where we are today. We might have faltered, failed, tripped and fallen too at times, but we have never failed to fight back with vigour and succeed yet again. We raised our children with care, never allowing them to get swayed away by success or take advantage of being celebrity children. Never ever they have taken an advantage of who they are. We are extremely proud of our children."

Khushbu went on to issue a stern warning to those targeting her daughters online. Saying she would not allow anyone to "insult" or "disrespect" her children for fleeting social media attention, she lashed out at the trolls for their "crude" mindset.

She further wrote, "Never mess with a mother. Remember, a mother is a wounded tiger who will pounce and kill to protect her cubs. And this message is not for some 3rd rated jerk who has gone out and used my kids and my family to gain a few followers and laughs. This is a very clear message to all the so-called YouTubers too who sit and talk about us for a packet of green notes so that they can feed their families."

Khushbu concluded her note by urging women to stand up for themselves and refuse to tolerate disrespect. Stressing that strength is "earned" and not bought, she encouraged women to value self-respect above public opinion. She also thanked actor Radhikaa Sarathkumar for standing by her during the episode.

"Enough is enough. If we don't speak for ourselves today, these morons will walk over us. What they don't know is that the strength we have within ourselves is not bought, but earned. To every woman out here, stand up for yourself. When others fail to respect you, give a damn. Learn to respect yourself. Never ever allow others to insult you. Thank you, @realradikaa, for always being there. As a friend and family."

Khushbu's post comes just days after her younger daughter, Anandita, married Merchant Navy officer Shravan Sreenivasan in an intimate ceremony attended by close family members and friends. (ANI)