Hindu or Not? Dir Vetrimaaran Sparks Controversy on Raja Raja Cholan's Religion

Tamil Film Director Vetrimaaran says identities are being erased in cinema.

Director Vetrimaaran's statements on Raja Raja Cholan –the emperor on whom Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan is based – sparks controversy.

(Photo: Twitter/Altered by The Quint)

Tamil film director Vetrimaaran has sparked a controversy by speaking about Emperor Raja Raja Cholan's religious identity. According to the director, the famed ruler was not a Hindu Emperor.

Vetrimaaran's comments have come just days after the release of filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan: Part One, which is based on Kalki’s fictional Tamil novel inspired by the Tamil emperor Raja Raja Cholan (since there is no English equivalent of the letter 'zha,' Chozhan is mostly written as ‘Cholan’).

Vetrimaaran was speaking at the 60th birthday celebrations of MP and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan on 1 October. He presided over as the Chief guest in the event which included a short film and documentary festival titled ‘Makkal Ezhuchi, Ondru Seru’ (loosely translated as 'people, rise and come together’).

'Thiruvalluvar in Saffron and Raja Raja Cholan as a Hindu'

During this event, Vetrimaaran made some strong political statements.

Here are the key highlights of his speech.

The director recounted the best advice he got from VCK Chief Thirumavalavan before making the Dhanush-starrer Asuran – "Please stop showing how a single hero alone is changing society in your movies. All filmmakers make the same mistake. Show how change happens through a movement. That will be better."

• “Art should be treated rightly. If we fail to do so, very soon we will lose out identities. They are constantly misappropriating our identities. Like, cladding Thiruvalluvar in saffron, presenting Raja Raja Cholan as a Hindu king. Our identities are being erased.”

• “Art is inherently political. Our very existence is political. Knowingly or unknowingly, we occupy a certain political space. Cinema is an art form which very easily reaches common people and it is essential to make cinema political.”

Dravidian Movement Took Films to the Masses

• “Despite pressure from external forces, the reason why Tamil Nadu has become a secular state is because Tamil cinema has adopted the Dravidian ideology.”

• “When the Dravidian movement took over Tamil cinema, there were arguments about doing art for art’s sake and not for the masses. They talked a lot about aesthetics. Yes, that’s also important but no art is complete if it doesn’t touch the lives of people. Art should reflect people's lives.”

Vetrimaaran's fiery speech has left the internet divided. Here are some of the reactions to his statements:

'Well-Read, Politically Conscious Filmmaker'

During media interaction, when asked about Vetrimaaran's comments, actor and political leader Seeman opined that what the filmmaker said was true. He said that the Dravidian movement reclaimed cinema from a particular community (dominant caste) and made it a common medium for all. It was made possible by the Dravidian leaders of those days like Kalaignar M Karunanidhi and MG Ramachandran who worked in the film industry.

'Why Is Hinduism Always Subjected To Criticism?'

Reacting to the Vadachennai director's comments, Thalapathy Vijay's Thirupaachi fame, filmmaker Perarasu said, "A fake atheist is more dangerous than a fake preacher or a guru."

Vetrimaaran is a reputed filmmaker from the South who is a serial national award winner. Known for making films centered around socially relevant subjects like caste inequalities, police brutality and the importance of education, he has received national awards for the first time, under two categories – best director and best screenwriter – for his film Aadukalam starring Dhanush. Some of his other award winning films are Kaaka Muttai, which was backed under his production, Visaranai and Asuran.

On the work front, his lineup of upcoming films includes Suriya-starrer Vaadivaasal and Viduthalai starring Soori, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Vijasethupathi.