Bharathi Raja And The Nadigar Sangam Tussle!

Veteran director P. Bharathiraja has talked about the Nadigar Sangam tussle for the first time in the open. He openly said in a Press Statement that only those with Tamil as mother tongue should hold key posts in the Nadigar Sangam. He also did not like the actors’ dirty linen being washed in public. Actors’ problems should be settled among themselves and not be reported every day as news.

The director who shot to the limelight with his 16 Vayathinile almost 40 years back reminded everyone about him having requested the Sangam to have its name changed from South Indian Film Artists Association to Tamil Nadu Films Artists Association. The name had made sense when the Sangam was formed in 1952 as then; all the South Indian Film Artists worked under the same umbrella. But this no longer applied to the actors of the other three industries, Tollywood, Mollywood and Sandalwood had all formed their associations. A similar name change had been done with respect to the Tamil Film Producers Council and Tamil Nadu Directors Union.

President of the Sangam, Sarathkumar had passed a resolution for the name change as demanded by Bharathi Raja and a resolution was passed in the General Body Council to this effect, but the name change had yet to be implemented. The celebrated film maker complained that TN politics and TN Film Industry were dominated by non-natives that is why many associations had non-Tamils in key posts. He once again said that all people including non-Tamils could be members but requested that the administrative and leadership posts be left to native Tamils. He requested the Sangam members to keep all this in mind before going to the ballot.