Actor Sathyaraj denied rumours of acting in a biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at the pre-release event of Mazhai Pidikatha Manithan on Wednesday, May 29. The senior actor sarcastically suggested that he would have acted in it had the film been directed by his friend the late director Manivannan, who was a follower of the anti-caste icon Periyar. Sathyaraj also joked that the biopic on Modi would “come out well” if it was directed by contemporary Tamil anti-caste filmmakers like Vetrimaaran, Pa Ranjith, or Mari Selvaraj.
Rumours that Sathyaraj, who gained national fame for his roles in Chennai Express and Baahubali series, would play the role of Modi were widely circulated recently. The rumours became a cause of amusement as Sathyaraj is a staunch supporter of Periyar and often dons a black shirt, a symbol of protest synonymous with Periyarists. In fact, he attended Wednesday’s press meet also sporting a black shirt.
He clarified, “Nobody has approached me [to play the role of Modi]. Even if they do … I may have acted in it if it were directed by my friend late director Manivannan who used to show characters ‘as they were’.”
Sathyaraj jokingly added that he was ready to act in the biopic even if Mazhai Pidikatha Manithan director Vijay Milton directed it without any propaganda. In the same vein, he suggested that he would act in Modi’s biopic if it were directed by filmmakers like Vetrimaaran, Pa Ranjith, or Mari Selvaraj. All the aforementioned directors are critical of the right-wing.
During the press meet, Sathyaraj also announced that he is playing a role in Rajinikanth’s upcoming film Coolie. The film directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj will see the collaboration of Rajinikanth and Sathyaraj after a long gap. Sathyaraj and Rajinikanth had acted together in several iconic films in the early days of their career. However, they stopped working together owing to personal differences. On numerous occasions, Sathyaraj has taken a dig at Rajinikanth, saying that the latter was not a native of Tamil Nadu.