An assistant director named Rajendran has approached the Madras High Court alleging that the upcoming Tamil film Parasakthi is based on a story written by him and that the makers have unlawfully used his work without consent. The court has now ordered the South Indian Film Writers Association (SWAN) to investigate the plagiarism allegations.
The film Parasakthi, featuring Sivakarthikeyan, Jayam Ravi, Atharvaa, and Sreeleela, is scheduled for theatrical release on 10 January 2026. The film has been produced by Dawn Pictures and directed by Sudha Kongara.
In his petition, Rajendran claimed that he had written a story titled Semmozhi, centred on the anti-Hindi imposition language agitation that took place in 1965. He stated that the story was officially registered with the South Indian Film Writers Association in 2010.
Rajendran further submitted that while working as an assistant director on the film Pen Singam, he had narrated the Semmozhi story to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. According to the petitioner, Karunanidhi had appreciated the concept and encouraged him to develop it further, citing medical advice that required him to rest.
The petitioner stated that he had subsequently shared the registered story with several producers. He alleged that producer Salem Dhanasekaran later passed the story to actor Suriya, who in turn shared it with director Sudha Kongara. Rajendran claimed that a film announced earlier under the title Purananooru, with Suriya in the lead role, was based on his Semmozhi story but was later shelved.
According to Rajendran, the shelved project has now been revived and produced under the title Parasakthi, using the same storyline. He alleged that the makers had copied his story without authorisation and proceeded with the film’s production.
The petitioner also informed the court that he had lodged a formal complaint with the South Indian Film Writers Association in January 2025 but claimed that no action had been taken so far. As a result, he sought an interim stay on the release of Parasakthi. He further requested the court to direct the Writers Association to constitute an expert committee to examine and compare the Semmozhi story with the storyline of Parasakthi and submit a report.
The petition came up for hearing before Justice S. M. Subramaniam. During the proceedings, the judge observed that it was necessary to examine whether the two stories were identical or substantially similar. The court directed that notices be issued to director Sudha Kongara and the producer of the film, calling for their responses to Rajendran’s petition by January 2. The judge also instructed the South Indian Film Writers Association to hear all parties involved and submit a report on the complaint.
Following these developments, uncertainty has arisen over whether Parasakthi will be released as scheduled. The film is already facing certification issues, with members of the Censor Board reportedly seeking the removal of several scenes. In response, the film’s makers have applied for re-certification.
While the makers had been expecting the censorship issues to be resolved soon, the filing of the story theft case has added to the challenges surrounding the film’s release. There is now considerable anticipation over the nature of the order that the court may pass in the matter.
It has been reported that the court may eventually examine both the Semmozhi story and the completed film Parasakthi before arriving at a conclusion on whether the two works are the same or materially different.
Not The First Time
Filmmaker Sudha Kongara has previously faced allegations of appropriating real-life stories without due credit, most notably in connection with Irudhi Suttru. Former boxer Thulasi has publicly alleged that the film was based on the lives of herself and her sister Saraswathi, but that Kongara neither acknowledged them nor credited the story as being inspired by real events. In interviews, Thulasi stated that Kongara denied the story was theirs, claimed to have heard similar accounts from many sources, and failed to keep promises of credit or a role.
Thulasi has said the denial caused her deep personal hurt, adding that she currently works as an autorickshaw driver to survive. Despite this, Kongara has attributed the film’s protagonist to a fictional inspiration. Critics have since pointed to an apparent contradiction between Kongara’s public statements against oppression and these allegations. Similar ideological criticisms have also been raised about Soorarai Pottru, which was presented as inspired by GR Gopinath.
Source: OneIndia Tamil
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