Slumlord’s daughter seeks clarification from director Pa Ranjith

At first it was the family of don Haji Mastan who claimed the story of superstar Rajinikanth’s 2018 flick ‘Kaala Karikalan’ was based on his life. Once that was denied, then there were sundry claims made by others which had to be referred to the Chennai-based trade bodies for arbitration.

Now, one more bombshell has been lobbed in the direction of Dhanush-produced venture by the daughter of a well-known Dharavi slumlord, Thiravia Nadar. She has issued a statement as part of an interview in the latest issue of the largest-selling Tamil weekly ‘Kumudam’ in which she categorically asserts that Rajinikanth is playing none other than her father’s messianic character.

Having risen to a position of eminence in the USA despite having been born and brought up in Asia’s largest slum in Mumbai, Vijayalakshmi is convinced that the director Pa. Ranjith has something to hide. As she clarifies: ‘

Director Pa. Ranjith is indeed very busy with his film. Still, when I spoke to him from America, he promptly attended to my call and informed me that his film is all about a modern day young don and not based on someone’s life. Even if one agrees to his opinion, then why did he have to show an old Rajinikanth and not younger heroes like Ajith Kumar or Vijay for that role? ‘

Elaborating further, the daughter of the erstwhile don, for whose funeral 30,000 people had jammed the streets of Mumbai, says that one of the publicity stills of the film shows Rajinikanth sitting on a vintage jeep with the registration number 1956. ‘That was the period when my father was lording over Dharavi’ says Vijayalakshmi, convinced that Ranjith and Rajinikanth are shying away from clarifying her apprehensions.

The film has an all-India casting with Huma Qureshi and Nana Patekar part of the venture. Vijayalakshmi says that though her America-based family is not aware of her background, she is conscious of the linguistic bitterness which engulfed the slum where she lived with locals and others. ‘

I only want the director to be open about his story and acknowledge the fact that it is based on my father’s life, who came from distant Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu at the age of 15 and made a life for himself battling odds in Mumbai living here for over six decades,’ she added. Quite notably, the director avoided speaking to ‘Kumudam’ too when they tried to reach him for his version.