Raavana Kottam is an upcoming rural action entertainer starring Shanthnu Bhagyaraj in the lead. The movie directed by Vikram Sugumaran of Madha Yaanai Kottam (2013) fame is all set to release in theaters on May 12, 2023. Also starring Anandhi, Prabhu, Raavana Kottam is based on the 'Seemai Karuvelam' case which even in 2022 prompted a a full bench of the Madras High Court to direct the Tamil Nadu state government to frame a policy/ action plan for the removal of the trees immediately.

The 'Seemai Karuvelam' or prosopis Juliflora , was brought to Tamil Nadu from West Africa in the early 1960s. The Karuvelam species brought to tackle severe shortage of firewood to the state, however turned out to be a biological nightmare. The Karuvelam is a fast growing tree is that absorbs water like no other; as in it can absorb groundwater on its own or from any waterbody including humidity from its surroundings. 

This has lead to issues like water-scarcity in already drought prone areas like Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Kanyakumari districts. Since 2015 the Madras high court has been directing the state government to uproot these Karuvelam trees, since cutting/clearing them alone does not stop the problems they pose (They grow rapidly, destroy water bodies, no other plants can co-exist with them, and birds cannot find shelter in them because of the less oxygen they give).

Given the cost involved in uprooting, the number of families that survive on selling Karuvelam firewood, and other industrial-lobby reasons, the Karuvelam case seems to be an ongoing one. Raavana Kottam set in Ramanathapuram, addresses this issue. The film is produced by Kannan Ravi Group and has Justin Prabhakaran for music, Vetrivel Mahendran for cinematography and Lawrence Kishore for edits.