Appreciating director Mari Selvaraj for his latest film Maamannan, Chidambaram MP and president of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi Thol Thirumavalavan said that the film was “literature on screen.” Maamannan marks Mari Selvaraj’s third triumphant anti-caste film, following the success of Pariyerum Perumal (2018) and Karnan (2021). The film, starring actors Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil, Keerthy Suresh, and Udhayanidhi Stalin, released on Thursday, June 29. A political film, Maamannan speaks about social justice and how some dominant communities view social justice as a charity offered by them to oppressed communities.
In the film, Vadivelu plays the titular character of Maamannan, a legislator belonging to a Dalit community. Udhayanidhi plays Athiveeran, Maamannan’s son who is rebellious and fights against the indignity faced by his father owing to his caste identity.
Sharing his thoughts on the film, the VCK chief said on Twitter, “Director Mari Selvaraj’s Maamannan is an artwork that shows the conflict between social justice and caste supremacy. Caste is not only ideological, it is also deeply entrenched in culture. Rather than destroying it, it is a great battle to even relax its hold. Maamannan describes this bloody battlefield. Maamannan is literature on screen that says in the end that social justice will prevail.”
In the film, Athiveeran ensures that his father becomes the Speaker of the House, which would symbolically make him an equal to other political leaders. Commenting on this, Thirumavalavan said that Athiveeran’s fight for social justice is the greatest victory.
Responding to the congratulatory message, Mari Selvaraj thanked Thirumavalavan for accurately understanding the meaning behind the film.
Besides playing the lead role in Maamannan, Udhaynidhi’s production house Red Giant Movies had also produced the film. The film has garnered critical acclaim as well as positive responses from audiences, for which Red Giant Movies gifted a Mini Cooper car to Mari Selvaraj on Sunday.
Thanking the director for delivering a successful film, Udhayanidhi said that Maamannan has sparked discussions and debates among Tamils worldwide. He emphasised that Maamannan has effectively conveyed the principles of self-respect and social justice advocated by influential leaders such as Ambedkar, Periyar, Anna Durai, and Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi) to the younger generation.