Films were not Tamil cinema’s strongest suit in 2024. The year saw big-star vehicles cause disappointments, even as some smaller films managed to make an impact. Despite such a lacklustre year for Tamil cinema, there was no dearth of controversies in the industry. Some of these led to divided opinions online and in public discourse, which explains why they make our list of the biggest controversies of Tamil Cinema in 2024.
Beyond the Feud-Tale
Ahead of the release of her documentary, which chronicled her life as an actor and her wedding to Vignesh Shivan, Nayanthara called out Dhanush on social media for not providing permission to use footage from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan in the documentary. Nayanthara alleged that producer Dhanush demanded a compensation of Rs 10 crore for using three seconds of BTS footage in the trailer for her documentary.
Claiming that it was recorded on her personal device and was already shared on social media, Nayanthara wrote a note accusing Dhanush of denying an NOC certificate for two long years. While a court verdict on the matter is still pending, the row has polarised opinions within the fraternity and elsewhere and sparked a debate over copyright laws.
Identity Crisis On-Screen
After the release of Amaran, the members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) protested outside the production house Raaj Kamal Films International’s office for the alleged negative portrayal of Muslims in the film. They also burnt an effigy of Kamal Haasan.
Adding to the row was the representation of the lead character, Sivakarthikeyan’s Major Mukund Varadharajan, which also became a big talking point. It did not go down well with a particular section of the society. Ultimately, however, the film’s paramount success, alongside director Rajkumar Periasamy’s clarification, put all contentions to an end.
A Reel Tragedy
Another big controversy of the year, which meant intense trolling against Aishwarya Rajinikanth, came after Aishwarya claimed that the footage for an important portion of Lal Salaam was lost during production. She confessed the same after Lal Salaam’s underwhelming performance at the box office, despite the Rajinikanth factor in the film.
A hard disc with 21 days of footage went missing during post-production. Unable to reshoot everything, the team recreated key scenes and included them in the final cut. While the missing footage has allegedly been recovered, Lal Salaam continues to evade streaming platforms, leaving fans in suspense about the release of the extended director’s cut.
Out of Step with Justice
Choreographer Jani Master, who faced serious sexual assault charges involving a minor, was set to receive a National Film Award for his work in Thiruchitrambalam. However, due to the gravity of the allegations and the related legal proceedings, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting suspended his award and withdrew his invitation to the National Film Awards ceremony.
Jani Master faced multiple charges, including sexual abuse, criminal intimidation, and assault against a minor colleague, and had reportedly confessed to the alleged crimes. The suspension of his award serves as a stark reminder that artistic merit cannot overshadow the gravity of criminal accusations.
The Cut that Wasn’t
On the day of the release of Mazhai Pidikkatha Manithan, director Vijay Milton claimed that a creative decision was made without his consent. Vijay claimed that he didn’t have a one-minute scene, which exposes too much about Vijay Antony’s protagonist, added to the start of the film.
He questioned how the scene was included in the film after the CBFC certification. A few days later, he clarified that the scene was removed from the film. However, there were some rumours that Vijay Antony was responsible for the confusion in the first place, which he later denied.
Whose Song Is It Anyway?
Ilaiyaraaja issued legal notices to the makers of Manjummel Boys and Coolie for the unauthorised use of his songs. He claimed that ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan’ from Gunaa was used without his permission in Manjummel Boys. After negotiations, the makers reportedly paid Rs 60 lakh as compensation.
He also objected to the use of ‘Va Va Pakkam Va’ from Thanga Magan in the Coolie promo. However, in a Madras High Court hearing in April, the judge ruled Ilaiyaraaja could not claim exclusive ownership of the song, as someone else penned its lyrics.