Engineering student demands ₹1.1cr from 'Amaran' makers: Here's why
What's the story
In a shocking incident, an engineering student from Chennai, VV Vaageesan, has sued the makers of the Tamil film Amaran.
Why, you ask? Because his phone number was accidentally flashed in a scene of the movie, resulting in a flood of calls from fans of actor Sai Pallavi.
According to The Hindu report, Vaageesan is demanding ₹1.1cr in damages for "untold hardships and mental agony."
Scene details
Vaageesan's phone number was used in a romantic scene
The controversy stemmed from a romantic scene in Amaran where Pallavi's character, Indhu Rebecca Varghese, throws a crumpled piece of paper with her phone number at the hero, played by Sivakarthikeyan.
This number, Vaageesan claims, is his personal contact number linked to everything from his Aadhaar Card to bank statements.
The film was released on October 31 and since then he has been receiving calls non-stop.
Disruption
Vaageesan's life was disrupted by incessant calls
Vaageesan's ordeal started when he was celebrating Diwali with his family, as calls from Pallavi's fans started pouring in.
Initially oblivious to the reason, he soon realized his number had been displayed in the movie, thanks to the sheer volume of calls.
He told The Hindu that since then, he has been unable to "sleep, study, or carry out basic activities without interruptions."
Unanswered pleas
Vaageesan's previous attempts to resolve the issue were ignored
Vaageesan had first attempted to address the issue by posting on social media tagging director Rajkumar Periyasamy and lead actor Sivakarthikeyan. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears.
This prompted him to send a legal notice seeking ₹1.1cr in damages and immediate removal of his number from the film.
Incidentally, this isn't an isolated case as similar instances have happened in the past with films like Shivamani (2003) and Hello (2018).
Box office success
'Amaran' continues to thrive despite controversy
Despite the raging controversy, Amaran has been hailed as one of this year's biggest performances and has been well-received by audiences.
The film, produced by Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films International, is based on the book series India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh.
It has reportedly grossed over ₹225cr in India alone and is close to the ₹300cr global collection mark.