A film's title can sometimes become as contentious as the story it seeks to tell, particularly when it carries associations that extend beyond cinema. For Kamal Haasan, the return of a title from one of his earlier projects has once again brought an old disagreement into the public domain, with objections emerging even as his new film begins production.
The actor's upcoming film, directed by SU Arun Kumar of Chithha and Veera Dheera Sooran fame, was announced as Sandiyar on November 7, coinciding with Kamal's birthday. The project marks the first collaboration between the actor and the filmmaker. However, the title has drawn opposition from Puthiya Tamilagam president K Krishnasamy, who has raised concerns over its perceived caste associations and potential to cause social tensions.
Krishnasamy has now given Kamal Haasan a week's time to reconsider the title. In a fresh warning, he said that his party would not allow the film's shooting to proceed under the name Sandiyar. He reportedly cautioned that protests would be held at shooting locations, including studios, until the title was changed. The ultimatum follows his recent appeal to the Tamil Nadu government to intervene in the matter.
Earlier, Krishnasamy met Information Minister A Raj Mohan at the Secretariat and submitted a representation seeking a ban on the use of the title for the film. He also urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to prevent the project from being released under that name. One of his objections concerned the film's promotional line, “Revenge can be settled only in blood”, which he argued glorifies violence and vengeance.
The dispute brings back memories of 2003, when Kamal initially announced his film, later released as Virumaandi, under the same title. Krishnasamy and his party had opposed the name at the time, arguing that it carried caste-related connotations and could provoke tensions in southern Tamil Nadu. Following the controversy and the intervention of then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the title was changed to Virumaandi.
The renewed objection also comes with a change in the circumstances surrounding the actor. Krishnasamy has pointed out that Kamal is now a Rajya Sabha MP and a political party leader and has called on him to act responsibly while choosing a title. He has maintained that the word Sandiyar could be interpreted as celebrating dominant-caste identity and has argued that its use could create social discord.
Kamal is producing the upcoming film under his Raaj Kamal Films International banner along with R Mahendran. Anirudh is composing music for the upcoming film, continuing his collaboration with Kamal Haasan after Vikram (2022) and Indian 2 (2024). The crew of Sandiyar also includes cinematographer Sunil KS, production designer CS Balachander, and stunt choreographer Anbariv.
