In an unusual legal case, VV Vaageesan, an engineering student from Chennai, has filed a lawsuit against the producers of the Tamil film Amaran. Vaageesan is seeking ₹1.1 crore in damages, citing mental agony and disruption caused by the repeated calls he has been receiving from fans of Sai Pallavi, a lead actress in the film. This situation arose after Vaageesan’s personal phone number was mistakenly displayed in a key scene in the movie.
Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, was released on October 31, just before Diwali. The movie features a romantic sequence where Sai Pallavi’s character, Indhu Rebecca Varghese, tosses a crumpled piece of paper containing her phone number to Sivakarthikeyan’s character, Major Mukund. Unfortunately, the phone number used in this scene belongs to Vaageesan.
Vaageesan first noticed the issue during Diwali celebrations with his family when he started receiving calls from unknown numbers. These callers, most of whom were Sai Pallavi fans, repeatedly asked to speak to the actress. Initially baffled, Vaageesan eventually realized his number was shown in the movie after the influx of calls became overwhelming.
The situation has caused Vaageesan significant distress, as his phone number is linked to critical documents, including his Aadhar card and bank accounts. Changing his number would result in substantial inconvenience.
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Feeling ignored after reaching out to the film's team on social media, including the director Rajkumar Periyasamy and lead actor Sivakarthikeyan, Vaageesan decided to take legal action. He has demanded ₹1.1 crore in compensation for the "untold hardships and mental agony" he has suffered. Additionally, he insists the number be removed from the film immediately to prevent further harassment.
The case has sparked discussions on the responsibilities of filmmakers when using phone numbers or personal details in movies. Vaageesan has expressed that his daily life has been severely disrupted, stating he can neither sleep nor concentrate on studies due to constant interruptions.
This is not the first time such an issue has emerged in Indian cinema. In 2003, the Nagarjuna-starrer Shivamani sparked a similar controversy when the phone number used in a scene led to numerous calls for the actor. The phone’s actual owner filed a lawsuit, citing "immense agony."
A similar case occurred in 2018, involving the Telugu film Hello, where a Jharkhand man sued the filmmakers for displaying his number, which led to incessant fan calls for the movie’s lead, Akhil Akkineni.
Produced by Kamal Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International, Amaran is an adaptation of the book India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. The film tells the story of Major Mukund, a soldier who sacrificed his life in a counterterrorism operation and was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the case raises important questions about accountability in filmmaking and the ethical considerations involved in using personal data.
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