Pariyerum Perumal director Mari Selvaraj was awarded the Samashtee Award 2019 by the Samashtee Foundation in association with the Ambedkar Centre for Social Justice of Mumbai University. The recognition, founded in honour of Marathi poet and Dalit activist Namdeo Dhasal, is given to personalities for their ‘unparalleled contribution in the field of arts’.

The award was presented to Mari Selvaraj by Bollwood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who heaped praise upon Pariyerum Perumal. Also present at the ceremony were filmmaker Kiran Rao, actress Anjali Patil, actors Milind Shinde, Jitendra Joshi, Suyash Tilak, Ritwik Kendra, Vinod Gaykar, producer Nitin Vaidya, and artist Shashikant.

Produced by Pa Ranjith, Pariyerum Perumal highlights the issue of caste violence and oppression through the story of Pariyan (Kathir), a young law student who befriends an upper caste girl, played by Anandhi. The film garnered positive reviews and bagged multiple awards. Santhosh Narayanan’s soundtrack, featuring the songs Karuppi and Naan Yaar, was also widely praised.