4 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jul 6, 2026 08:47 PM IST
The storm around Jr NTR‘s upcoming film with director Trivikram Srinivas has grown louder, with Naam Tamilar Katchi chief Seeman demanding that the Tamil Nadu government block the film’s release in the state over its apparent depiction of Lord Murugan.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, the NTK leader cautioned the makers that they would face severe consequences if they went ahead with what he called an attempt to twist Tamil history and culture. He also appealed to the state government, theatre owners and distributors to keep both the Tamil and Telugu versions out of Tamil Nadu screens unless changes were made.
The trouble traces back to June 29, when producer Naga Vamsi announced the yet-untitled project starring Jr NTR. His announcement read, “Born in the North. Forged in the Heartland. Worshipped in the South. Now… A tale destined to belong to the universe.” Jr NTR’s own post left less to the imagination, describing the subject as “The Son of Shiva. The Pride of Parvathi. The Eternal Commander.” The poster, featuring a weapon resembling the Vel, the sacred spear associated with Murugan, sealed the reading that the film centres on the deity, also known as Karthikeya and Skanda.
It was the first three words of Vamsi’s post that lit the fuse. Murugan is worshipped in Tamil Nadu as Tamil Kadavul, the god of the Tamils, woven into Sangam literature and the state’s worship traditions, with his six sacred abodes located there. Many Tamil users online read “Born in the North” as an assertion that the deity originated in northern India and objected strongly. Others pushed back on the outrage itself, pointing to traditions which hold that Murugan had no physical birth and was associated with the North before his abodes in the South.
Also Read: ‘One spear, one purpose’: Jr NTR reunites with Trivikram Srinivas for mythological spectacle
Seeman’s statement went considerably further than the online criticism. He described the announcement as shocking and said presenting Murugan as born in the northern plains insulted Tamil identity. He alleged that communities without their own distinct worship traditions had long tried to claim Tamil deities as their own, naming Sivan, Murugan, Kannan, Thirumal and Kotravai. “From time immemorial, the most ancient, primal god of Tamils, inseparably intertwined with Tamil culture and way of life, is Lord Muruga Peruman. Tamil is Murugan; Murugan is Tamil; the two are inseparable,” he said.
His warning to the film’s team was direct. “I warn that the film crew must immediately abandon their attempts to fabricate and impose fictional tales, such as claiming Lord Muruga was born in the northern plains, under the guise of art. Failure to do so will result in facing the most severe repercussions,” he said. Urging the state to act, he added, “Considering that this film, which distorts Tamil culture and is created with the intent to hurt the sentiments of Tamils, could lead to serious law-and-order issues if released, I strongly urge the Tamil Nadu government not to permit the screening of its Tamil or Telugu versions in Tamil Nadu.”
The makers have stayed silent through the week of backlash and have not addressed Seeman’s demand either. The film has not begun shooting and is rumoured to carry the title God of War, which translates in Tamil to Por Kadavul, itself one of Murugan’s popular names in the state. The project marks another collaboration between Jr NTR and Trivikram after Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava.
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Beyond the immediate demand, the episode has reopened a familiar argument on social media: who gets to tell the stories of gods, and where the line sits between faith, regional identity and a filmmaker’s creative freedom. With the film still on paper, the makers have time to respond. Whether they engage with the objections or ride them out will likely shape how the project is received in Tamil Nadu long before a single frame is shot.
Jr NTR announced the untitled film with director Trivikram Srinivas on June 29 with a poster featuring a Vel-like weapon, drawing objections in Tamil Nadu over the line Born in the North.