Chennai college student’s mobile number gets reel life in Sai Pallavi-starrer Amaran, triggers real ₹1.1-crore lawsuit

Chennai: A striking match between a reel-life mobile number of a heroine and a college student's personal number resulted in the latter being bombarded with countless calls, and also triggered a ₹1.1. crore law suit.

The incident happened after a Chennai college student's contact number somehow turned out to be the same as Sai Pallavi's phone number, as shown in Tamil superstar Sivakarthikeyan's recently released blockbuster 'Amaran', directed by Rajkumar Periyasamy. 

The student, Vaageesan, claimed that he became a target of unsolicited calls following the incident, and demanded ₹1.1 crore from the production house.

How did the numbers match?

In a scene, from Amaran, Sai Pallavi tosses a crumpled piece of paper to the hero with her mobile phone number written on it. While one of the digits was not clear, Vaageesan claimed that his number was visible, resulting in a flood of calls from strangers who mistakenly believed they were contacting Sai Pallavi. 

Vaageesan had previously condemned the makers on social media, and requested them to take action.

‘Strangers call me…’

Vaageesan claims that his concerns were ignored despite multiple attempts to resolve the issue, which has only intensified his frustration. “Since the release of the movie, I have not been able to sleep, study, or carry out basic activities without interruptions. The moment I switch on my phone, strangers call me. I am unable to even book a cab and call/receive the driver due to continuous incoming calls,” The Hindu reported, quoting Vageesan.

Despite Vaageesan's repeated pleas for assistance, the makers of 'Amaran' have remained unresponsive, leaving the college student feeling disheartened. As a result, he has filed a legal petition seeking ₹1.1 crore in compensation from the production house, according to The Hindu.

Amaran movie

The Tamil blockbuster Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, has been making waves at the box office. The Periyasamy directorial has collected ₹168.70 crore net across all languages within 14 days of its release.

'Amaran' is based on a real life story, that tells the tale of Major Mukund Varadarajan, a commissioned officer in the Indian Army's Rajput Regiment. He was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra for his extraordinary valour during a counter terrorism operation while serving on deputation with the 44th Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Jammu and Kashmir.