Sivakarthikeyan’s recent film Amaran, based on the life of the late Major Mukund Varadarajan, has garnered both critical and commercial acclaim, but not without stirring some controversy. Allegations surfaced regarding the omission of Mukund’s caste identity in the film. Addressing these concerns, director Rajkumar Periasamy clarified that this decision was made at the request of Mukund’s family.

Rajkumar explained, “Indhu Rebecca Varghese, Mukund’s wife, had one specific request: to cast someone with strong Tamil roots, as Mukund was a proud Tamilian. I believed Sivakarthikeyan embodied that identity perfectly, which is why he was chosen. The song Achamillai Achamillai by Bharathiyar, featured in its original form across languages, symbolized a powerful moment in the film. When Sivakarthikeyan sang it with his on-screen daughter, I felt the film’s success was assured. His presence was a significant strength.”

He also revealed that Mukund’s parents wished for the film to highlight only Mukund’s Indian and Tamil identities. “Mukund used to lovingly call his father Varadarajan ‘naina’ and his mother Geetha ‘sweety’. They wanted to emphasize that Mukund, an Ashoka Chakra awardee, identified as an Indian and a Tamilian, without any other labels,” Rajkumar stated.

“As a director, I never intended to reference Major Mukund’s caste. When we met his parents to discuss the film, caste never came up, neither from them nor from us. This perspective was maintained throughout the making of Amaran. The film is meant to be a tribute to Mukund’s sacrifice and dedication,” Rajkumar emphasized.

Although Major Mukund Varadarajan was from the Iyengar community, the film portrays him as a Hindu without specific mention of caste. Similarly, Indhu, depicted as a Christian in the film, also has no caste reference.

Source / Image Credit : Hindustantimes