It has been 16 years since Paruthiveeran starring Karthi, Priyamani in the lead made waves in Tamil cinema, and film's producer KE Gnanavel Raja and director Ameer Sulthan are making waves for entirely the opposite reason in 2023 with respect to the movie.

TL;DR Studio Green producer Gnanavel Raja has been in a legal dispute with director Ameer over the production cost of Paruthiveeran for the past 17 years. While Gnanavel Raja maintains that Ameer overshot budget and shooting timeline, Ameer maintains that Raja abandoned the film in-between, only to comeback later to claim producer credit. Ameer also says that there was never any written agreement between him and Studio Green production banner so he is legally not bound to provide them receipts for Paruthiveeran's production, in which Ameer also claims a lot of his own money went.

Actor Karthi who debuted as an actor with Paruthiveeran, received a lot of acclaim for his lead role. KE Gnanavel Raja is a distant relative of actor Karthi, and director Ameer recently expressed disappointment over Karthi being a silent spectator of this production cost battle. Ameer's rehashing of the topic in public lead to the great Paruthiveeran row of 2023, with directors like Sasikumar, Samuthirakani, Bharathi Raja, Vetrimaaran among others expressing solidarity with Ameer. 

“The issue between you and Ameer is for financial reasons. However, you have spoken about a great creator in a way to cause embarrassment to his art, which is condemnable. Ameer’s contribution in identifying you and making you a successful producer is huge and you shouldn’t forget it. Even before Paruthiveeran, Ameer has directed films and has produced one. To say that he learnt filmmaking with your money with a sly laughter is a disrespect to all creators because a creator will keep learning until death. I am learning even now. In my opinion, you have to apologise and solve the issue for disrespecting a great creator.” - Veteran Bharathi Raja condemning Studio Green producer KE Gnanavel Raja 

 

Amidst the growing condemnation for KE Gnanavel Raja, who not just put forth allegations against Ameer but also created unnecessary drama for Karthi, director Sudha Kongara, the Studio Green producer has come up with a statement that reads, 

"The 'Paruthiveeran' problem has been going on for the past 17 years. I have never spoken about it till this day and I will always refer to him as 'Ameer brother'. From the beginning I have maintained close camaraderie with his family. The false accusations he (Ameer) leveled at me in his recent interviews really hurt me. I sincerely regret if some of the words I used while replying to him offended him. I have a lot of respect for the film industry that gives me livelihood, and everyone who works in it. Thank you."