Directors Pa.Ranjith and Mari Selvaraj COLD WAR continues!

Mari Selvaraj the director of the recently released movie ‘Vaazhai’ debuted as a director through ‘Pariyerum Perumal’ produced by director Pa.Ranjith. Director Pa.Ranjith who had earlier worked with Venkat Prabhu as an assistant director debuted as a director through ‘Atta Kathi’ produced by Studio Green. Later Ranjith directed critically acclaimed movies titled ‘Madras’ & ‘Sarpatta Parambarai’. He had also directed ‘Kabali’ & ‘Kaala’ in which Rajinikanth played the lead role in those two movies and the recently released ‘Thangalaan’ in which Vikram played the lead role in it.

Ranjith who proudly focuses himself as a person from the Dalit community kept raising voice for the empowerment of the Dalit community and made sure that his movies spoke the hurdles faced by the dalit community people. His movies received both positive and negative reviews and reception from both media and the public. Ranjith was criticized badly by few parts of the media and the audiences for wantedly imposing dalitism in the movies he directed. This criticism directly or indirectly gave mileage for Ranjith gaining publicity.

Mari Selvaraj who worked as an assistant director for Director Ram in his three directorial films ‘Kattradhu Thamizh’, ‘Thanga Meengal’ & ‘Taramani’. Mari Selvaraj while working as an assistant director with Ram had approached many production houses to give him an opportunity as a director. Though Mari Selvaraj had good knowledge in film making, he was not offered to direct a movie by any of the producers fearing that his mentor Ram was a critically acclaimed director but a director who did not reach a box-office as other ace directors. This fear by the producers could not get a proper producer for Mari Selvaraj.

At one point of time, Ranjith who came to hear about the difficulties faced by Mari Selvaraj to get a proper producer, Pa.Ranjith volunteered to introduce Mari Selvaraj as a director through his own production house ‘Neelam Productions’. This is how Mari Selvaraj debuted as a director through the film ‘Pariyerum Perumal’ produced by Pa.Ranjith’s ‘Neelam Productions’.

Later Mari Selvaraj directed ‘Karnan’ in which Dhanush played the lead role. ‘Karnan’ was critically acclaimed and made a decent collection at the box-office. Udhayanidhi Stalin(DMK Minister & son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin) who is also an actor has acted in around 15 movies. Only a very few movies gained him appreciation from the audience. Udhayanidhi Stalin was disturbed since he was not able to earn a reputation for his acting and chose Mari Selvaraj to direct a film for him. It is then Udhayanidhi Stalin was roped into Mari Selvaraj’s third directorial film titled ‘Maamannan’ produced by Udhayanidhi’s own banner ‘Red Giant Movies’. This film was critically acclaimed and Udhayanidhi’s acting was well spoken.

Mari Selvaraj after joining hands with Udhayanidhi Stalin through the movie ‘Maamannan’ became very much close to Udhayanidhi Stalin. Mari Selvaraj’s closeness with Udhayanidhi Stalin was not digestible for Pa.Ranjith because his ideology was partially different from that of the DMK party in which Udhayanidhi was a part. There started a cold war between Pa.Ranjith and Mari Selvaraj. Though both shared the same dias in various cinema related events and dalit empowerment events, they did not express their difference of opinion before others. Close associates of both the directors and their friends in their caste community who understood about this started speaking within themselves and with others which started speculating as news.

Recently Tamil Nadu State Chief of Bahujan Samaj Party Armstrong was brutally murdered. It is said that Armstrong is the one who had financially helped Pa.Ranjith for his education and Pa.Ranjith was a close and loyal associate of Armstrong. Since Armstrong was a state chief of a part which fights for the rights of Dalit always kept distance from the ruling DMK party. As Pa.Ranjith was closely associated with Dalit empowerment, Armstrong and the BSP he disliked Mari Selvaraj’s close association with DMK Leader Udhayanidhi.

After a day of the murder of Armstrong, Pa.Ranjith while addressing the media openly attacked DMK led government alleging that the state lacked proper Law & Order and that led to the murder of Armstrong. Armstrong’s statement against the DMK led government created a scuffle on social media between DMK supporters and Armstrong supporters. Even senior leaders of DMK & BSP functionaries alleged each other before the media.

Here started the heated difference of opinion between Pa.Ranjith and Mari Selvaraj, because Mari Selvaraj did not comment on anything in support of Pa.Ranjith and deceased Armstrong. Pa.Ranjith shared his disappointment about Mari Selvaraj’s activity with his close associates mentioning that Mari Selvaraj hails from our community and was keeping dumb while DMK supporters were banging Pa.Ranjith on social media and media addressing. At one stage Pa.Ranjith had used the word ‘Mari Nandri kettavan(‘Mari is an ungrateful fellow’ in Tamil) while conversing with his close associates.

Mari Selvaraj’s latest directorial movie ‘Vaazhai’ produced by Mari Selvaraj himself was released on 23rd August 2024 by Red Giant Movies’ which was earlier owned directly by Udhayanidhi Stalin and now controlled by his associates Arjun Durai & Shenbagamoorthy. The reason Mari Selvaraj maintaining a close relationship with Udhayanidhi Stalin and not commenting either in favour of Pa.Ranjith or against DMK could be because his ‘Vaazhai’ was releasing and Mari Selvaraj had to maintain silence for smooth release of the movie which Red Giant Movies’ had bagged the theatrical release rights.

Mari Selvaraj’s fifth directorial movie ‘Bison’ is on floors and Dhruv Vikram is playing the lead role in it. The movie is being produced by Samir Nair, Deepak Seighal, Pa.Ranjith and Aditi Anand in banners Applause Entertainment and Neelam Studios. News speculates that director Pa.Ranjith may call off from this project and would be taken over by Mari Selvaraj’s own production house which produced ‘Vaazhai’. Whatever it is, both Pa.Ranjith and Mari Selvaraj are critically acclaimed directors who portray the pains of their community people and the financially backward people which is a need for the society.