In a rather bizarre legal dispute, an engineering student from Chennai, VV Vaageesan, has filed a lawsuit against the producers of the film “Amaran”, on account of a phone number that appears in the movie. The student has complained that his personal phone number was flashed in a scene, thereby attracting unrelenting calls from fans of the actress Sai Pallavi.
The phone number was displayed as part of a romantic scene in which actress Sai Pallavi’s character tosses a crumpled piece of paper with her number at the hero, played by Sivakarthikeyan. The phone number was noted by film goers and soon got circulated, leading to a barrage of calls making it difficult for Vaageesan to carry out basic activities like studying and sleeping.
Vaagesan has also complained that his number is linked to essential services, including his Aadhaar card and bank accounts. He had first resorted to social media to get the attention of the makers to resolve the issue, however his requests were left unanswered. Apart from the demands of scrapping out his number, now Vaagesan is also claiming a compensation of 1.1 crores for emotional and personal distress caused by the film.
This is not an isolated case of such an issue. In the past also, there have been a few such incidents. For example, in the 2003 “Shivamani” case, a person sued over his phone number being used in a film featuring the actor Nagarjuna. A similar situation surfaced in 2018 when a man from Jharkhand filed a suit over his phone number being used in “Hello,” a film starring Akhil Akkineni. These incidents reflect the aftermath of using authentic telephone numbers in films and harassing unsuspecting people.
The film “Amaran” is already involved in other controversies. The movie seeks to recreate the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan, a Tamil Brahmin Army officer who was martyred in the Kashmir conflict. It has attracted severe criticism for its poor handling of Vardarajan’s religious identity. Many critics point out that the film does not represent his Hindu Brahmin identity appropriately. The movie has been criticized for denying or sidelining Major Varadarajan’s Hindu background while focusing on his wife Indu’s Christian faith, by using symbols, such as a cross necklace. This depiction has angered some sections of the Tamil society, particularly the Tamil Brahmin community, which has historically been relegated to the sidelines in the state.
The film’s production is attached to two stalwarts known for their controversial views on Hinduism. Kamal Haasan, who owns the production house, is an anti-Hindu, according to many, and Udhayanidhi Stalin, who handles the film’s distribution. Udhayanidhi made headlines when he equated Sanatan Dharma with diseases such as dengue and malaria, calling for its elimination.
