Mani Ratnam, Vairamuthu & the curious cas(t)e of the English media....
Rajesh Rajamani@rajamanirajesh
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Jan 05, 2025
~4 min read
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Mani Ratnam, Vairamuthu & the curious cas(t)e of the English media. - A thread.
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Watching the several interviews of Mani Ratnam prior to the release of his 'Ponniyin Selvan' - 1', one couldn't help but notice that not a single English media journalist or film critic has asked him anything about dropping Vairamuthu from the film and replacing him with other…
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…lyricists. It is only during a Chennai press meet, one Tamil reporter asked Mani Ratnam about not collaborating with Vairamuthu for the film and another asked why such an important Tamil poet was not invited to the film's audio launch.
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The phrase 'Me Too' wasn't uttered in both these questions.
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This seemed strange because when the news first got out in 2019 that Vairamuthu would be writing the songs for 'Ponniyin Selvan', it created a strong backlash on social media because of the Me Too allegations against him.
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Journalists and film critics from most English media houses heavily critiqued his inclusion. The pressure was so much that Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies had to go back on their initial plan and drop their regular collaborator Vairamuthu from the project.
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They released the first poster with all crew member details except the lyricist's name. It was only after a year or so, Ilango Krishnan was announced as the film's primary lyricist.
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If you think about it, it was Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman who revived Vairamuthu's career in the 90s after he was sidelined by Ilaiyaraaja.
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And singer Chinmayi, who had accused Vairamuthu of sexual harassment was also introduced by Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman in 'Kannthil Muthamittal' (2002).
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Still, both Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman have so far refused to directly comment on the Me Too accusations against their frequent collaborator Vairamuthu.
What is truly amusing is why the English media journalists and film critics are refusing to question Mani Ratnam about it.
What is truly amusing is why the English media journalists and film critics are refusing to question Mani Ratnam about it.
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Particularly those working in digital platforms. These very same people were at the forefront of the Me Too movement. They played a key activist-y kind of role then and went beyond just passively reporting the events.
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Plus, it is not like they have shied away from questioning others in the film industry or political circles- about Me Too allegations in general or Vairamuthu in particular.
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When Nana Patekar, one of those accused during the Me Too movement worked in 'Kaala' (2018), The News Minute asked its filmmaker Pa Ranjith his stance on the issue.
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The same media house also questioned former Union Minister and DMK leader A Raja on Vairamuthu's closeness to his party during the 2021 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. And it became a talking point on social media at that time.
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But then, these were indeed important questions to be asked and discussed.
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In fact, several digital media houses like The News Minute, Cinema Express, Quint and others have all built a niche for themselves by talking fiercely about gender politics and offering feminist perspectives.
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But what seems strange is why these same media houses refuse to ask Mani Ratnam anything about Vairamuthu or Me Too - during the several interviews conducted around 'Ponniyin Selvan - 1' or even the earlier Netflix anthology 'Navarasa' (2021).
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Instead, they all seem to come across as smitten fanboys or fangirls gushing in front of the filmmaker.
This makes one wonder if all the fierce questioning is only reserved for lower caste leaders and artists.
This makes one wonder if all the fierce questioning is only reserved for lower caste leaders and artists.
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Because if A Raja or Pa Ranjith can be pushed to spell out their stance, why not Mani Ratnam too? In fact, those allegedly harassed by Vairamuthu are not in DMK's political circles or Pa Ranjith's team.
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Instead, they are mostly Brahmin or Savarna women singers who sang or aspired to sing for AR Rahman's and Mani Ratnam's films. So, it was Vairamuthu's closeness to Mani Ratnam and AR Rahman that could have given him access to these singers.
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But still, these media houses refuse to question Mani Ratnam about it.
Irrespective of the gender politics these media houses espouse at other times, they seem to go out of the way to protect the stature and credibility of a filmmaker like Mani Ratnam.
Irrespective of the gender politics these media houses espouse at other times, they seem to go out of the way to protect the stature and credibility of a filmmaker like Mani Ratnam.
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The only way to interpret this deliberate bias seems to lie in their caste-class interests. Because the English media is already monopolized by Brahmins, Nairs and Menons, they don't seem to want to discomfort a Brahmin filmmaker.
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So much so that, they don't seem to care even if the affected women are themselves Brahmins or other Savarnas.
One is quite puzzled how these media houses are ready to sacrifice the struggles of fellow Brahmin-Savarna women to protect the sacred position of a Brahmin man.
One is quite puzzled how these media houses are ready to sacrifice the struggles of fellow Brahmin-Savarna women to protect the sacred position of a Brahmin man.
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But then again, why would they not when they themselves derive their power and privilege from the well-being of the male of Brahmin species.
