Director Mathimaran Pugazhendhi has clarified his remarks about actor Suhas that he made at the Mandaadi success meet on Thursday. The filmmaker, who spoke about the Telugu actor facing comments about his skin colour before joining the film, said his remarks were specifically about an individual and were not intended as a reference to Telugu people, the Telugu audience or the Telugu film industry as a whole. Mathimaran took to Instagram on Friday to issue the clarification following discussions surrounding his comments.

At the success meet, Mathimaran had spoken about Suhas' experience before the latter joined Mandaadi, recalling how the actor had been affected by comments about his appearance. The director said he had promised Suhas that he would respond to those remarks publicly if the film became a success. Mathimaran had also said that actors in Tamil cinema were not judged based on their skin colour and pointed to the response to Suhas' performance as Sattapuli in Mandaadi. He added that Suhas was now known to audiences across Tamil Nadu through the film.

Clarifying his comments, Mathimaran said that he was speaking only about one person and the comments were directed at Suhas. He stressed that his words were never intended to refer to Telugu people, the Telugu audience or Telugu cinema as a whole. The filmmaker also recalled his speech at the Mandaadi pre-release event in Hyderabad, where he had praised the Telugu film industry as one that is leading the country and expressed his respect for the industry and its audience. Mathimaran added that he would never intentionally say anything against the people who have shown love to him and the film and expressed regret if his words had been misunderstood.

Suhas, meanwhile, also shared a note on social media amid the discussion. Recalling his journey from making short films on YouTube to becoming a character actor and eventually a lead actor, the actor thanked audiences for supporting him at every stage of his career. He said that their love, encouragement and belief in him had opened doors, including the opportunity to be part of Mandaadi. Suhas further said that audiences had embraced him for his work regardless of anything and that his journey itself stood as a testament to that. He concluded by thanking audiences and viewers across states for the love shown towards Mandaadi and his character.

Mandaadi marks Suhas' Tamil debut and features him as Sattapuli, the antagonist opposite Soori's Muthukaali. Directed by Mathimaran Pugazhendhi, the film is set against the coastal communities of Tamil Nadu and revolves around a traditional sailboat race. The story follows the rivalry between two teams, with Muthukaali and Sattapuli, who were initially part of the same team, eventually finding themselves on opposing sides. The film also features Mahima Nambiar, Sathyaraj, Mithun Jai Sankar, Ravindra Vijay, Bala Saravanan and Stun Siva, among others.

Produced by Elred Kumar under the RS Infotainment banner, Mandaadi has music by GV Prakash Kumar, cinematography by SR Kathir and editing by Pradeep E Ragav. The film was released in Tamil and Telugu on September 10 and has continued its theatrical run following a positive response.