The Tamil Nadu Youth Congress has urged authorities to impose a ban on actor Sivakarthikeyan’s latest release ‘Parasakthi’, claiming the film distorts historical events involving the Congress party and misleads audiences about the political climate of the 1960s.

The film, which opened in cinemas on 10 January, revisits the era of student movements and statewide protests against Hindi imposition. According to party leaders, however, several sequences misrepresent facts and unfairly target the Congress.

Congress says film ‘distorts history’

Arun Bhaskar, senior vice president of the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress, alleged the production takes a “pro-DMK” approach and advances what he described as a “pro-Tamil, anti-Hindu stand”. He said the censor board had already ordered 25 cuts, with specific scenes labelled fictional, yet the final film still contained “serious misrepresentations”.

Bhaskar argued that the movie invents incidents related to the 1965 language conflict and portrays Congress leaders, including former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in fabricated scenarios.

Among the claims highlighted by the party, the film is said to suggest Hindi was the only language allowed on post office forms at the time. Calling this a “complete fabrication”, Bhaskar said it was intended “to malign our party”.

‘Imaginary portrayal’ of Indira Gandhi criticised

Bhaskar took objection to scenes depicting Sivakarthikeyan’s character meeting Indira Gandhi over the Hindi debate and later showing the former prime minister in unfavourable light. He insisted that such events never took place and accused the filmmakers of creating unlawful depictions of deceased national leaders.

He further denied that Gandhi had travelled to Coimbatore on 12 February 1965, as shown in the film. The sequence involving a burning train collapsing before her, accompanied by imagery of her accepting signatures against Hindi imposition, was also dismissed as false.

Claims over Pollachi killings ‘baseless’, says Youth Congress

Bhaskar accused the film of maligning former leaders K. Kamaraj, Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri by flashing their real photographs during the end credits alongside an allegation that Congress forces killed more than 200 Tamils in Pollachi. He criticised the claim as lacking any evidence.

He also objected to scenes involving the burning of the Congress flag, calling the film a deliberate attempt to “attack the Indian National Congress through lies and distortions”.

Detailed objections listed

According to Bhaskar, the following scenes are among the most “condemnable”:

  • In 1965, the Congress government never officially announced that Post Office forms must be filled only in Hindi across all states. This is a complete fabrication deliberately created to malign our party.
  • The film depicts a fictional scene in which Sivakarthikeyan meets the Iron Lady Indira Gandhi and thereafter portrays her as speaking in a villainous manner. The foolish team that produced this film seems completely unaware that the law does not permit the imaginary portrayal of deceased national leaders in events that never occurred in history. They have recklessly created scenes that have no historical basis whatsoever.
  • Taking this distortion even further, the film falsely shows Indira Gandhi visiting Coimbatore on 12 February 1965-a visit that never took place. It then fabricates scenes of a train being set on fire in her presence and portrays her as accepting signatures against Hindi imposition. None of these events ever happened in history, and depicting them is highly condemnable.
  • At the end of the film, during the End Credits, real photographs of our leaders-K. Kamaraj, Indira Gandhi, and the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri-are shown, accompanied by an utterly baseless claim that the Congress party shot and killed more than 200 Tamil people in Pollachi. This accusation is made without a shred of evidence and deliberately portrays our party and our leaders with false and defamatory data.

Apart from this, scenes showing the burning of the Congress flag have also been forcibly inserted into the film. In totality, this entire film is built on the filmmakers' own fabricated imagination and is completely contrary to historical truth, with the sole intention of attacking the Indian National Congress through lies and distortions.

All scenes in ‘Parasakthi’ movie that depict events which never occurred in history must be removed immediately. The film's production team must issue a public apology. Failing this, strict legal action will be initiated against the filmmakers.

Youth Congress warns of protests, legal action

Bhaskar demanded the removal of all contested scenes and insisted that the producers issue a public apology. He warned that the party would pursue legal remedies if the film was not withdrawn or corrected.

“I call upon all Congress workers to raise their voices against this injustice,” he said.

Produced by Aakash Baskaran, the movie is directed by Sudha Kongara Prasad. It features Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela in leading roles. The film has drawn mixed reactions from critics and audiences since its release.