In a discussion among film directors during a show, Kollywood director Pa Ranjith complained about OTT platforms, claiming their content regulation policies restrict creative freedom and limit storytelling compared to theatres, which he calls the “only democratic space.”

Furthermore, Ranjith seemingly had a dramatic meltdown over the justified removal of Nayanthara’s film Annapoorani from OTT platforms due to its anti-Hindu content.

Ranjith & Other Directors

A short clipping of an interaction between 5 film directors featuring Kollywood’s Vetrimaaran, Pa Ranjith, Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, and Mahesh Narayanan from the full episode on “Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter India” by Anupama Chopra made the rounds on social media.

In the clipping, the directors are discussing the impact of OTT on their box office collections and its impact on the stories these directors tell. Vetrimaaran begins by saying, “First, I think I need to clarify one thing here. It’s not the theatrical box office that is failing, it is the inflation created by the OTT platforms that is failing now. See like OTT barged in, they said like during the COVID times like okay for one actor’s film, one Rajinikanth film, one Vijay film we’ll give you 100 crores, 120 crores. You buy, we will make it. Then the budgets became bigger. The salaries became bigger and within a few months, they realize that it was not sustainable for them, for the OTT platforms. Now they are saying okay we can’t give you that much. But the production, I mean the filmmakers, have gotten used to making bigger films. Actors have gotten used to taking bigger salaries. What to do now? So, the problem is not with the, Again I’m coming with another reference.

There’s a film that was released a couple of weeks ago called Vaazhai in Tamil. Mari Selvaraj’s film, the box office is staggering. I would call Mari Selvaraj the biggest mainstream filmmaker in Tamil cinema today because with the new kids like nobody known only his name is the selling name, the kind of numbers the film has done, amazing. In box office it has taken I mean, the lifetime number just in Tamil Nadu is going to be two times more than the overall budget of the film. So, box office, theatre is there. The only thing is we need to realign ourselves into going back to the same way of telling stories. Our stories within the budgets. What the people will give us, the Democracy of telling our stories the way we want to tell is directly addressing the theatrical audiences and not the OTT platforms. OTT this year will have okay we’re going to do like patriotic films. We will invest this is apart from the big big films.”

At this time, Pa Ranjith butts in and says, “And also they have limitations, censor. They have their own censor, you continue.”

Vetrimaaran continues, “It’s like a sensitivity test they do, like, you know, correctness, political correctness. They don’t want to show beef-eating scenes nowadays. That is happening here and there are so many limitations they come with. No this is like this, this community will get offended, this religion will get offended. So please don’t do it so they are restricting. They used to be good paymasters. When you are like you know big paymaster, your demand is also more. Might as well, I will just stay back like you give me whatever least you can give, I will go to my people, let’s do like you know Democratic business, we will try to get money from them – for which, we all have to recalibrate, we have to reduce our salaries by like you know at least by like 30% 40% you have to give up your salaries, try to make films within the budget and I think we are going to see a big boom and revival of theatrical revenue.”

Ranjith once again butts in and says, “I’m adding something here. So, the theatre is the only democratic space, not OTT. Yeah, we have a problem with the distributor and the owners also. But that is the only democratic place compared to OTT. OTTs have a lot of limitations. You know that one Nayanthara movie, they took the movie off, it is not good, no? Censor gives a certificate, and theatres run also it’s good, but OTT big platform, they took it out, it’s not good, right.”

Vetrimaaran continues whining, “Yeah it’s like it’s really sad and they forced her to give an apology letter which I am…”

Ranjith again continues saying, “No no, they have a limitation, they have some certain things, they clearly said no, the OT they don’t have censorship, they don’t want to censor but they want the paper. You have to give what the censor approved, you have to give that only then we are going to telecast, otherwise we don’t want to telecast. Then after that they telecast some movie no, they took it out from there.”

Dravidawood directors Vetrimaran and Ranjith are disappointed with OTTs for being sensitive to a community and religion's sentiments and disallowing beep scenes.

Also, deplatforming the agenda filled Annapoorani film has traumatized them. pic.twitter.com/DhmQ0B1AFs

— Tamil Labs 2.0 (@labstamil) October 25, 2024

It is noteworthy that Nayanthara’s Annapoorani bombed at the box office and was removed from OTT platforms because of its Hinduphobic, anti-Brahmin, Dravidian propaganda content. The Commune reviewed the film, and the impact created can be seen for itself – Pa Ranjith suffering a meltdown a year after its release and the aftermath.

Who Is Pa Ranjith?

Both directors are known for their films which peddle Dravidian propaganda. Pa Ranjith is known for his films featuring Rajinikanth – Kaala and the more recent Thangalaan. Ranjith is known for his overused, unidimensional ideology, stretching it like an endless rubber band of oppression, suppression, exploitation, and suffering in his films. Everyone knows Pa. Ranjith’s ideologies, which he frequently shares on social media, often igniting controversy.

In the film Thangalaan, the ambiguity of typical characters like the Brahmin supervisor and the British supremacist creates a lack of clarity in the film’s conflict, seemingly used to critique the Brahmin caste. The usual Dravidianist stereotyping of Brahmins as vile and cunning, de-Hindufying village deities, references to the Varna system, Vishnu, Buddha, Saint Ramanuja, Christianity, and Islamist tyrant Tipu Sultan, all of which seem ungrounded, leaves us puzzled about their relevance to the story in Thangalaan.

In Kaala, he subtly weaves anti-Hindu sentiments, portraying Hinduism and its symbols as inherently oppressive. The movie’s villains are given distinctly Hindu names, reinforcing negative stereotypes associated with the religion. Ranjith contrasts Hindu traditions with Buddhist and Communist ideals, favoring the latter as symbols of compassion and justice. Hindu icons like Ram and Krishna are used to depict antagonists, while Marxist symbols and EVR are praised. The film positions Hindu practices, like bowing to elders, as hierarchical, while Buddhist traditions are celebrated. Ranjith’s portrayal of characters and symbols paints the Hindus in a negative light while valorizing Communist and Buddhist beliefs. In the film Attakathi, he even had dialogues that positioned pre-marital sex as a sort of achievement.

Ranjith, although he proved worthy of a filmmaker in ‘Madras,’ a political film that traversed the landscape of Dravidian politics, his other film, ‘Sarpatta Parambarai’, peddled Dravidian propaganda. One should also note that Ranjith had also supported Udhayanidhi Stalin for his ‘eradicate Sanathana Dharma’ remarks.

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