The Producers Council has asked all its members to stop casting actor Vadivelu in their films, a move that will effectively blacklist the veteran who has worked in Tamil cinema for over two decades. This decision was made after the actor’s refusal to participate in any discussions about Imsai Arasan 24am Pulikesi, the sequel to Chimbudeven’s Imsai Arasan. The actor walked out of the movie citing creative differences with the director and the production team, S Pictures.
Earlier this year, a complaint was filed by director Shankar, who heads S Pictures, with the Producers Council. The Council attempted to mediate the dispute and consistently urged Vadivelu to get back on sets. When this failed, the Council asked the actor to pay an amount of Rs 9 Crores to the producer for the loss incurred. This demand was not met by Vadivelu. Ultimately, this led the Council to blacklist the actor.
A spokesperson for Vadivelu said that while the actor has been made aware of the decision, the council has not communicated it to the actor directly. “We came to know about this through our media friends. As of now, there has been no official communication. But we are prepared to fight it legally, if the need ever arises,” he said.
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The spokesperson reiterated the actor’s claims that creative differences were the reason for his decision to walk out. “From the beginning, there were no efforts to make sure that Vadivelu sir was comfortable on the sets. His personal costumer was replaced with a new designer and this did not sit well with him. When we persisted, they behaved very badly. That’s why he walked out.”
A spokesperson for the Producers Council chose not to comment on the issue. Repeated calls to Shankar’s S Pictures and director Chimbudeven did not yield results either.
Imsai Arasan 24am Pulikesi was launched with much fanfare last year. Parvathy Omanakuttan was attached to the project as female lead. The film was a sequel to Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi, a period comedy that launched Chimbudeven and established Vadivelu’s career as a lead actor.