Acclaimed director and dialogue writer Rajumurugan who is best known for his National award winning film Joker, recently found himself in hot waters after a speech he made at the audio launch of a film titled Mundhirikaadu. Speaking about Pugazh, son of senior Indian Communist party leader C Mahendran who is making his debut with this film, Rajumurugan said,

"I have a request to people in cinema..When people unbeknownst are given titles such as Superstar (a prefiix used for Rajinikanth) and Ilayathalapathy (a prefix previously associated with Vijay till he took on Thalapathy), please ensure our child Pugazh also gets one.."

Naturally, fans of both these actors who enjoy a star status in the Tamil film industry outraged over the use of the words "people unbeknownst" (translated from Tamil), citing reasons like Rajiniakanth's and Vijay's body of work alone speak volumes about their identity and that Rajumurugan's credentials don't necessarily come close for them to be disrespected by him on a public platform.

The director has now expressed regret over his choice of words and taking to his micro-blogging page, Rajumurugan wrote, "It was the kind of thing that was talked about to encourage, without any motive at a music release event. I regret the misstatement of the words. Both Rajini and Vijay, through their hard work and dedication, have touched the heights of Tamil cinema. I always will hold a high regard for their contribution to the arts!