Film director Vignesh Shivan, husband of actress Nayanthara, recently became the subject of widespread controversies after reports circulated that he was attempting to acquire the government-owned Seagulls Hotel on Puducherry’s Beach Road. Shivan has issued a statement clarifying that these rumors were false and part of a fabricated narrative.
Speculation surfaced that Vignesh was trying to acquire a government-owned hotel in Pondicherry, with reports suggesting he had met with local officials about the matter. These rumors quickly gained traction, leading to widespread discussions and memes online.
Vignesh has since cleared the air, explaining that his visit to Pondicherry was solely for securing filming permissions for his upcoming movie ‘Love Insurance Kompany’. He clarified that while he met with the Chief Minister and the Tourism Minister as a gesture of respect, any inquiries made by a local manager during the trip were unrelated and mistakenly linked to him. He dismissed the rumors as unnecessary and reiterated that his focus remains on his film projects.
In an Instagram post, he wrote, “This is to clarify that a silly news circulating about me trying to acquire a govt property in Pondicherry! I had gone to Pondicherry to visit the airport and secure shooting permission for my film Love Insurance Kompany. As a matter of respect and courtesy, I met the Honourable Chief Minister and the Honourable Tourism Minister. Unexpectedly, the local manager who accompanied me inquired about something for himself after my meeting, and that has been mistakenly linked to me. The memes, videos, and jokes created were really funny and inspiring, yet unnecessary! Hence, I wanted to clarify this. Thank you.”
The incident has led to significant online backlash, with critics alleging that Shivan may be attempting to use his political connections to secure government-owned assets. His association with the DMK is under scrutiny, as he has previously helmed high-profile government projects, including directing the opening ceremony of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022 and the “Road Raja” road safety campaign in collaboration with the Chennai Traffic Police.
The Chess Olympiad, held in Mahabalipuram from 28 July 2022 to 10 August 2022, featured a grand opening ceremony directed by Shivan. Similarly, the “Road Raja” campaign, conceptualized by Additional Commissioner of Police R. Sudhakar, utilized Shivan’s creative direction to deliver a road safety message through videos featuring popular celebrities like Yogi Babu and Shantanu Bhagyaraj.