People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India has filed a police complaint against Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies after a horse died during the shooting of Ponniyin Selvan on August 11, 2021.

A sub-inspector from Abdullahpurmet police station in Hyderabad has confirmed to the media that the complaint was filed on August 18 and that an investigation is in progress at the moment.

Since the film's crew had already left Hyderabad by the time a complaint was filed, PETA has also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 to anyone who would submit a video or photograph of the incident. PETA alleges that two horses collided head-on resulting in the death of one, whereas the horse owner has told the police that it died of Colic, an abdominal pain that is a common cause of horse-deaths.

The police have registered a case against both Madras Talkies and the horse owner under Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA) and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).