Tamil film director Shankar, who has been reeling from consecutive box office disappointments with Indian 2 and Game Changer, has now courted fresh controversy by praising yet another divisive film from Kollywood – Sakthi Thirumagan.
On his X handle, Shankar wrote: “Happened to see #SakthiThirumagan on OTT. A thought provoking film. The questions raised by the director were very reasonable and impressive for me. So many issues were addressed in this movie. The intensity of the content grows bigger and bigger in an unexpected way. Hats off to @ArunPrabu_. Kudos to @vijayantony and the whole team!”
Happened to see #SakthiThirumagan on OTT. A thought provoking film. The questions raised by the director were very reasonable and impressive for me. So many issues were addressed in this movie. The intensity of the content grows bigger and bigger in an unexpected way. Hats off to…
— Shankar Shanmugham (@shankarshanmugh) October 27, 2025
However, Shankar’s endorsement has raised eyebrows across Tamil cinema circles and social media alike. The film he praised, directed by Arun Prabhu and starring Vijay Antony, has been widely criticised as a propaganda-laden Dravidianist project that vilifies the Brahmin community and peddles political bias under the guise of social realism.
Sakthi Thirumagan – A Dravidianist Communal Propaganda Film That Peddles Hate Against Brahmins
Shankar’s praise stands in stark contrast to the widespread criticism the film has received for its blatant communalism and political targeting. As analyzed by critics, Sakthi Thirumagan is not a subtle political thriller but a film that deliberately peddles hate.
Anti-Brahmin Caricatures: The central villain, a crony capitalist named Abhyankkar Srinivasa Swamy, is portrayed as a sloka-chanting Brahmin, a lazy and inflammatory stereotype. The narrative incessantly highlights a so-called “Brahmin lobby” as the source of the nation’s ills. In one of its most disturbing subplots, the “hero” seeks revenge for a rape by manipulating a minor to murder the perpetrator—a character pointedly identified as a Brahmin principal and pedophile.
Targeting a Union Minister: The film features a corrupt central minister character whose appearance is a clear, unflattering look-alike of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a move perceived as a deliberate and personal political attack.
Glorifying Criminal Vigilantism: The protagonist, Kittu (Vijay Antony), is celebrated for engaging in unlawful activities, including cryptocurrency manipulation, funding bombings, and orchestrating murder, all framed as righteous acts against a corrupt system.
Overall, the film was a “toxic sh*t film” where the makers “jumped into the Dravidianist septic tank”, a film that scapegoated the Brahmin community and the Central Government for Tamil Nadu’s problems while absolving the state’s own political establishment.
Shankar’s Downward Graph
Shankar’s endorsement is particularly notable given his own precarious professional standing. Once hailed as a blockbuster maker, the director has recently faced two of the biggest commercial failures of his career.
Indian 2: The long-awaited sequel to his 1996 hit was a monumental box-office disaster, criticized for being shoddily made, a three-hour-long mess with a nonsensical plot, ridiculous Varma Kalai sequences, and cringe-worthy dialogues. The film cowardly parroted Dravidianist propaganda, demonizing Gujaratis and wealthy industrialists while ignoring Tamil Nadu’s own corruption.
Game Changer: Starring Ram Charan, this bilingual film also failed to connect with audiences, continuing Shankar’s string of poor performances.
This context makes his public support for another commercially unsuccessful and critically panned film a curious choice. Industry observers suggest that by aligning himself with the overtly EVRist and anti-establishment messaging of Sakthi Thirumagan, Shankar may be attempting to reposition himself within the dominant Dravidianist narrative.
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