‘We announced our date first, yet faced sabotage’: Parasakthi’s Dev Ramnath breaks silence

Chennai: Creative producer and actor Dev Ramnath has clarified that his recent social media remarks were widely misconstrued, insisting that he never intended to criticise or “warn” fans of actor Vijay.

Speaking exclusively to IANS, Ramnath said the narrative around his comments had unfairly distorted his actual concern — the survival of theatrical cinema and the collective effort behind films.

“I am nobody to be warning Vijay sir’s fans. He is a stalwart, and I’ve grown up watching his films,” Ramnath said, adding that he comes from a completely non-industry, non-political background.

“My only request is that a film should get what it genuinely deserves. We’ve worked for nearly ten years to reach this stage, and the last year and a half has been poured into this project with complete dedication.”

Ramnath explained that his remarks were about the larger ecosystem of cinema rather than targeting any fan base. He pointed out that hundreds of technicians and artists depend on a film’s theatrical performance, and unjustified negativity can deeply impact livelihoods.

Dev said the issue went far beyond routine box-office rivalry and was actively damaging to cinema as a whole. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote that releasing films around the same time should not become an excuse for undermining another project.

“Just because our film is arriving alongside yours doesn’t give anyone the right to sabotage it. We announced our release date first. Did we ever try to block your film? Never,” he said.

Addressing criticism, the producer maintained that feedback is healthy and necessary. “Criticism is always welcome,” he said. “But pulling a film down just for the sake of it is wrong. Saying it’s a good film later on OTT platforms doesn’t help — films need support in theatres.”

He also expressed concern over the fate of Vijay’s political drama Jana Nayakan, stating that the backlash faced by that film was equally unfair.

According to Ramnath, the Tamil film industry is currently under strain, with many producers hesitating to start new projects due to fear of excessive trolling and targeted negativity.

“When fewer films are being made, it becomes a shared responsibility — of writers, directors, actors, producers, and fans — to push cinema forward, not drag it down,” he said.

Ramnath is currently associated with director Sudha Kongara’s 'Parasakthi', which stars Sivakarthikeyan and Sreeleela in the lead roles. Set against the backdrop of Tamil Nadu’s anti-Hindi agitation of the 1960s, the film also features Ravi Mohan as the antagonist and Atharvaa in a pivotal role.

The film, marking Sivakarthikeyan’s 25th outing, has music by G V Prakash, cinematography by Ravi K Chandran, and stunt choreography by Supreme Sundar. 'Parasakthi' was released in theatres on January 10 as a Pongal festive release.