Director Mathimaran Pugazhendhi has revealed that Telugu actor Suhas faced racist comments from people back home before the making of Mandaadi, the Tamil catamaran racing drama in which Suhas makes his Tamil debut alongside Soori.

Speaking at the film’s success meet on Thursday, the director said the remarks affected Suhas deeply during the shoot and that he had made a personal promise to address them publicly once the film proved itself.

“Suhas was feeling very bad during the shoot because of his colour and the racist comments he received from back home. I told him that we would answer them on our success meet stage,” Mathimaran said.

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He then addressed the people who made those remarks directly. “I do not know who made the comments, but to answer, we do not discriminate against our actors based on their colour in Tamil Nadu. You can watch the film and call him back,” the director said. “Here in Tamil Nadu, every house knows Suhas now. His character, Sattapuli, is an emotion. I made a promise to Suhas, and I think I fulfilled it.”

Who is Suhas?

Suhas, born Suhas Pagolu, is a Telugu actor who rose to prominence through independent and mid-budget Telugu films that prioritised writing over star power. His breakthrough came with Colour Photo, a 2020 coming-of-age romantic drama about colorism and caste, which won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. He went on to deliver acclaimed performances in Writer Padmabhushan, Ambajipeta Marriage Band and Run, building a reputation as one of Telugu cinema’s most consistent actors in the non-star segment. Mandaadi marks his Tamil debut.

The film

Mandaadi is a sports action drama set in the coastal fishing communities of Tamil Nadu. Directed by Mathimaran Pugazhendhi, a former assistant of Vetrimaaran who serves as creative producer on the film, it tells the story of a traditional catamaran boat race during a local festival. The film is Tamil cinema’s first feature built around catamaran racing, a centuries-old sport practised across Tamil Nadu’s coastline that had never been depicted on screen before.

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On its eighth day, Mandaadi collected Rs 3.25 crore net across 3,524 shows in India, bringing its total India gross to Rs 67.03 crore and total India net to Rs 57.30 crore. Overseas, the film collected Rs 1 crore on Day 8, taking its total overseas gross to Rs 12.90 crore. The worldwide gross now stands at Rs 79.93 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.

The film stars Soori in the lead as Mandaadi, with Suhas as his rival Sattapuli, Mahima Nambiar as the female lead and Sathyaraj in a supporting role. Produced by Elred Kumar under RS Infotainment and distributed in Telugu by Mythri Movie Distributors, the film released on September 10, and has been a commercial success in both Tamil and Telugu markets.