Director Pandiraj, fresh off the success of Thalaivan Thalaivii starring Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen, is facing the heat from Suriya fans after a recent interview triggered major backlash. The film Thalaivan Thalaivii has been doing exceptionally well at the Tamil Nadu box office, grossing over ₹30 crore, but Pandiraj’s comments about past collaborations are now dominating the headlines.
During an interview with Cineulagam, Pandiraj made a bold statement regarding his 2022 film Etharkkum Thunindhavan (ET) starring Suriya. He claimed:
“The films that came after ET didn’t surpass its collection. Anyone in the trade will confirm that. It’s the truth. We can’t go around spreading false narratives.”
He further emphasized that he gave his full effort to the Suriya-starrer and dismissed fan accusations that he didn’t do justice to the project. According to him, despite putting in maximum effort, the film’s fate wasn’t in his hands.
However, this statement has sparked outrage among fans of Suriya, especially since films like Kanguva and Retro — released after ET — are believed to have outperformed it at the box office. Social media is now flooded with posts accusing Pandiraj of undermining Suriya’s recent successes and allegedly aligning with groups attempting to discredit the actor’s standing in the industry.
Some fan pages and influencers have even suggested that Pandiraj’s statements could be motivated by internal industry rivalries. Meanwhile, others are calling for a more respectful discourse between filmmakers and fandoms, urging both sides to base arguments on official box office data.
With Pandiraj now trending for the wrong reasons, it remains to be seen whether he will issue a clarification or stand by his remarks. In the meantime, Thalaivan Thalaivii continues its dream run at the box office, while the fan wars around ET vs. Kanguva are only heating up.
