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Parthiban vs Blue Sattai Maran: A look at the controversy surrounding Iravin Nizhal

The tussle dates back to July this year when Tamil YouTuber Blue Sattai Maran had contended that Parthiban’s ‘Iravin Nizhal’ is not the world’s first non-linear single-shot film as touted by the makers.

Written by : TNM Staff

Actor Parthiban’s recent social media posts following the release of his directorial venture Iravin Nizhal on the Over-the-top (OTT) platform Amazon Prime Video on November 11 have sparked a discussion online. On November 13, Parthiban posted a video on his YouTube channel expressing that he is disappointed about the manner in which the film has been released on the OTT platform. He mentioned that the filmmakers were not notified in advance about the release of the film on Prime Video. “They had not put out posts promoting the film or announcing its release date. Even films featuring big stars have to rely on promotions. So our film (Iravin Nizhal) definitely needs promotions,” he said in the video.

He also claimed that post its release on the OTT platform, the Tamil-language thriller could not be viewed by everyone across the globe. He also expressed disappointment over the trivia section on Amazon Prime Video naming the film as the world’s second non-linear single-shot film, instead of the first, as touted by the makers. Adding that he is unsure about how Amazon Prime Video works, Parthiban mentioned that negative comments from IMDB were posted on the OTT platform. “Those comments have changed only after 20 hours. I don’t like the comments that are currently visible on the platform either. However, I am not sure if I can change these things,” he said in his video. Parthiban was also of the belief that the film had been greatly affected by criticism against the film. 

Commenting on the concerns raised over the film being marketed as the world’s first non-linear single-shot film, Parthiban, as he did in his earlier social media posts, defended his stance.  “I have a lot of proof to show that this is a non-linear single-shot film. Even well-known critics like Mr Saibal have confirmed that it is,” Parthiban said in the video. He concluded the six minutes and thirty-three seconds long video by saying that the audience’s support keeps him going. “There are different child artists and actors who have worked hard for the film. It was a very technically challenging film to shoot, so I urge everyone to watch it,” he said.

Shortly after Parthiban posted the video, the trivia section of Amazon Prime Video was changed to say that Iravin Nizhal is the world’s first non-linear single-shot film. However, Parthiban’s video has led to different kinds of responses from social media users. While many fans extended their support to Parthiban, some posted and re-shared memes about the trivia section. A section of the fans also took a dig at Parthiban for relentlessly promoting the film as the world’s first non-linear single-shot film. 

Read: Iravin Nizhal review: Congrats on the single-take film, but will the rape jokes stop?

Parthiban’s posts come after the film courted controversy when Tamil film reviewer Blue Sattai Maran contended in July this year, that it is not the world's first non-linear single-shot movie. Non-linear refers to a narrative technique in films where events are not portrayed in chronological order. Movies that are filmed in one long take, traditionally using a single camera, are known as single-shot films. Prior to the theatrical release of Iravin Nizhal on July 15 this year, the makers extensively promoted the film, claiming it to be the first non-linear single-shot movie. Weeks before the release of the film, YouTuber Blue Sattai Maran, sought proof from the makers of the film to back their claims. Citing a report by Variety, Blue Sattai Maran asserted that the 2013 Iranian film Fish and Cat holds the record.

Read: Learning cinema from YouTube: 'Manasanamaha' short filmmaker Deepak intv

Days after Blue Sattai Maran’s tweets were posted, a few of Parthiban’s fans had reportedly burnt the former’s effigy in Pondicherry. On July 19, Maran put out a tweet slamming Parthiban for not condemning this move by his fans. Shortly thereafter, Parthiban clarified in a lengthy video that his fan clubs operate under the name of Parthiban Manida Neeya (humanity) Mandram which primarily functions to undertake welfare activities. Parthiban vouched that no one from the aforementioned group had any role to play in Blue Sattai Maran’s effigy being burnt. The actor-director also claimed that it was done by a creator who had purportedly requested Blue Sattai Maran to review his film and was furious that the latter had demanded Rs 3 lakh in exchange for a positive review on his channel.

In a bid to respond to the allegations mounted against Iravin Nizhal, Parthiban said in the same video, as well as in a series of tweets, that he Googled about non-linear single-shot films before marketing Iravin Nizhal as the first one, and could not find any results. Parthiban argued that Iravin Nizhal’s music composer AR Rahman, who also works on international projects, would not have signed the project if the makers had made false claims. In order to prove the veracity of his claims, Parthiban also pointed out that film critic Saibal Chatterjee and several other media reports have confirmed Iravin Nizhal to be the world’s first non-linear single-shot film. The Oththa Seruppu actor also questioned why Blue Sattai Maran had not raised these concerns in 2021 when the film’s team kickstarted their promotions.

Read: How single-shot film 'Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam' was shot inside a car

Substantiating his argument on the basis of Google search results, Parthiban maintained that the search results do not identify Fish and Cat as the world’s first non-linear single-shot film, as claimed by Maran. He also re-shared a Facebook post written by a fan who observed that Fish and Cat’s visuals are linear and it is the audio in the background that is non-linear.

Though both parties were expected to put the issue to rest after issuing clarifications, the tussle between Parthiban and Blue Sattai Maran ensued in the subsequent months too.

On July 21, Blue Sattai Maran compiled all his questions as a statement and urged Parthiban to answer them all. In his statement, the YouTuber asked why the film has not been certified as the world’s first non-linear single-shot movie by the Guinness Book of Records. He also demanded that the makers reveal why the record was not conferred to the film if the application had been rejected by the Guinness. It is to be noted that Iravin Nizhal has entered the Asia Book of Records as the world's first non-linear single-shot film.

“Even if the audio narration is non-linear in Fish and Cat, wouldn’t it still count as a non-linear film? The same would be applicable to your previous movie Oththa Seruppu which had contributions from voice artists and actors, but you had claimed that it featured only one actor in the lead,” the rough translation of Maran’s statement read. The 2019 Tamil film Oththa Seruppu entered the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records for having a single person write, direct, produce, and also act alone in the film.

In November when Iravin Nizhal was released on OTT, the controversy once again came to the fore, with both Parthiban and Blue Sattai Maran posting tweets refuting each other’s claims.

Read: 'Oththa Seruppu Size 7' review: Parthiban shines in this experimental thriller

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