What’s the Ameer and Gnanavelraja feud: Why the 15-year-old Paruthiveeran issue has resurfaced

While it’s been 15 years since the film’s release, the legal case filed by Ameer is still in court, and the issue has become a big talking point on social media. The issue has left the internet divided with many Suriya and Karthi fans siding with Gnanavelraja, while fans of Ameer have come out to defend him.

Why now?

While the problem between Ameer and Gnanavel and co has been going on for years, it has resurfaced after Karthi 25. He celebrated his 25th film Japan in a grand fashion in Chennai, which also doubled up as a promo event for his latest film Japan (a box office dud). The event felicitated everyone who was instrumental in the success of Karthi’s career. However, director Ameer, a key person in the actor’s success, was not invited to the event, which raised several eyebrows. Later, in an interview, Ameer spoke at large about the issue which brought the issue to the fore once again.

What’s the problem?

Ameer’s side alleges that though Gnanavelraja’s Studio Green is credited as the producer of Paruthiveeran, the director has spent a lot of money on the film after the producer refused to fund the film midway. Ameer has filed a case against the producer seeking proper compensation and rights for the film. He has also claimed that the film’s Telugu version was released without his permission, and he has not received any compensation from the profit. The case has been in the court for more than one decade.

Ameer’s statements

Ameer, in an interview with Behindwoods, claimed that Gnanvelraja was the reason for the fallout between him and Suriya (and Karthi). “All of you know Suriya as the star he is now. I know him as a friend. Karthi used to call me ‘anna (brother)’ on the sets of Paruthiveeran. He helped me with my first foreign travel. A bad incident happened because of a third person, who came between us. He believed that only if our relationship is stopped he can get close to the two actors.”

He added that the problem between him and the other faction is because of money worth Rs 1 to 1.5 crores. However, Ameer claims that money is not what he is after. “I have been cheated by someone and I want to seek justice to know what will come out of it. I want to know what should I tell my kid…whether to be honest or not.”

Gnanavel’s statements

Meanwhile, Gnanavel reacted to Ameer’s claim and said that the director overshot the budget by a huge margin. On top of that, Gnanvelraja claimed that he never intended to become a producer in the first place and was forced by Ameer to produce Paruthiveeran. According to the producer, Ameer incurred a huge loss with his film Ram (2005) and he got a loan of Rs 60 lakh from Gnanavel. In return, Ameer convinced the producer to make Paruthiveeran for the money he owes him. 

The producer made some serious allegations against Ameer calling him a person with whom no one can work with. He claimed Ameer behaved as if he was an iconic director like Bharathiraj and behaved badly with the actors and other people on the sets. He also said the delay with Paruthiveeran was due to Ameer’s lethargy.

Reactions

Director Samuthirakani, who assisted Ameer in Paruthiveeran and played a small cameo, lashed out at Gnanavel for his allegations against Ameer. Samuthirakani claimed that he had been a witness to how Ameer pooled money from his sources to finish the film after Gnanavel left the film mid-way. He asked Gnanavel to be careful with his statements. Similarly, director-actor Sasikumar, known for Subramaniapuram, criticised the producer for his statements against Ameer. Sasi said he had loaned out money to Ameer for the completion of Paruthiveeran and called out the false allegations against Ameer. 

#Ameer#TANTIS #இயக்குனர்கள்சங்கம் #RKSelvamani #RVUdhayakumar pic.twitter.com/74jPCXTUJS

— M.Sasikumar (@SasikumarDir) November 25, 2023

Meanwhile, Vaadivasal brings together Ameer and Suriya:

Amidst all the fiasco, Ameer and Suriya will come together to act in Vetrimaaran’s Vaadivasal, which is based on a Tamil novella of the same name. When asked about the same, Ameer said that he can separate his issues and art. He added that he is in fact looking forward to working with Suriya as he has become a seasoned actor in all these years. While there were rumours that Ameer might be removed from the film, Vetrimaaran recently confirmed that he is very much part of the project and his role has become bigger than before.