A journalist and author, named Jeyarani, made plagiarism accusations against writer-actor-filmmaker Shalini Vijayakumar, the director of the short film Seeing Red. As per Jeyarani, Shalini has used one of the stories, titled Sevvarali Poocharam, from her book Sennilam for Seeing Red without her consent and "without due recognition or royalties." In her Instagram post, Jeyarani alleged that "every inch of it has been stolen, down to the title (Sevvarali Poocharam - Red Oleander Flower string), the period and the genre." She added that the story "has been distorted and appropriated through a Brahminical lens."
Jeyarani also wrote that Sevvarali Poocharam is a result of her reporting work on religious injustices that questions unjust rituals. She pointed out that writing about it brought her "immense relief," but it "did not last even for a few months."
She then added that her story "about the cultural oppression suffered by women from marginalised communities under the guise of rituals" was distorted into the story of a Brahmin household, where the ghost is a grotesque Madisar-clad Brahmin woman.
The 30-minute-long short film was part of the 'Select: Filmed on iPhone' section at the MAMI festival earlier this year.