Maamannam Director Mari Selvaraj’s Take On Kamal Haasan's Thevar Magan Leaves Twitter Divided

Maamannam featuring Udhayanidhi Stalin is one of the most anticipated films of the month which is all set to hit the theatres on June 29. It has been directed by Mari Selvaraj. The film’s audio launch was aired on television, last Sunday, June 18 which has now stirred up a buzz for the film. At the event, the director spoke about Kamal Haasan’s Thevar Magan and its impact on him. Speaking at the event, Mari said that he doesn’t know whether Thevar Magan was right or wrong.

The audio launch of Maamannam was held on June 1 and Kamal Haasan was the chief guest of the event.

Speaking at the event, he said that Thevar Magan is considered a masterpiece today and he is also sure that every director would have watched it before making films. Mari also added that he did the same before every film of his. “When I watched it for the first time, I was left in a dilemma. I did not understand whether the film was right or wrong. I was in conflicting minds,” he added.

He continued and added that Maamannan is a continuation of Thevar Magan. Vadivelu’s character in Thevar Magan, which is Esakki, was his inspiration to model his role in Maamannan.

Mari explained that he wanted to see his father fit into this world and he has made Maamannan for his father. “Vadivelu, who played Esaki in Thevar Magan, is a maamannan (king of kings). Esaki’s transformation into a maamannan is the story of my film, Maamannan,” he added.

Watch Mari Selvaraj speaking about Thevar Magan here:

The director also said that Maamannan is a result of all the pain, distress and positive and negative emotions he has experienced after watching Thevar Magan.

After Mari Selvaraj’s speech, it has now gained attention on social media, and many have been divided on Twitter. Filmmaker CS Amudhan lauded Mari Selvaraj for speaking his mind in front of Kamal Haasan. He wrote, “That Mari speech was a watershed moment, it was a man at the pinnacle of his career being true to his soul and despite his adulation and forsaking all the connections he has foraged to call out a legend, it took some balls of steel. I’ve never seen it happen here. Good times! (sic).”

Some of the tweets from the microblogging users are here:

Bharathan’s directorial Thevar Magan featured Kamal Haasan and Sivaji Ganesan in the lead roles. The film narrated the life of a man and his father who is a chieftain. It explored the caste politics and dominations in the village. The film was a huge success but was widely criticised for glorifying the Thevar community.

Speaking of Maamannan, the film also stars Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil and Keerthy Suresh in lead roles. The film, like Mari Selvaraj’s previous films, will talk about caste politics.