A week into taking oath as the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu following his historic win in the State Assembly Elections, C Joseph Vijay has jumped into governance. While assigning portfolios to members of his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), he handed out his home turf of Film Technology and Cinematograph Act to actor-filmmaker Rajmohan, the propaganda secretary of the party. Rajmohan has also been assigned the portfolios of School Education and Tamil Development and Information.
Actor-producer Vishal took to his X handle on Sunday and called out the issues with the appointment. “Happy to see #CMJosephVijay allocating ministries to respective elected MLAs but it’s disheartening to see honorable minister #Rajmohan to be in charge as minister of Film Technology and Cinematograph Act,” he wrote.
“How would I or we as a body or as an association render our requests or grievances of our film industry which is actually bleeding and so many reforms to be made and give a ray of hope for the fraternity especially producers /production houses to someone who has lesser or no experience of what is happening in our industry more than our CM who was and is part of the industry from grassroot level and being part of the fraternity for last 30 years,” he added. “Not demeaning Mr. Rajmohan, but it’s just my opinion. CM can give us the much needed relief. God bless,” he concluded.
Raghava Lawrence defends Vijay’s decision
Meanwhile, actor-filmmaker Raghava Lawrence defended Vijay and Rajmohan, and requested the naysayers to at least give them enough time to get acquainted with the portfolio. “Our Honorable Chief Minister and Nanba #CMJosephVijay surely would not have taken this decision without careful thought and consideration. Rather than reacting impulsively, let us give it some time and extend our support,” he wrote on X on Sunday.
“I’m hopeful that Minister Raj Mohan will deliver his best for the welfare of the film fraternity. I understand the concerns, especially given the current challenges faced by the film industry. However, Honorable Minister #RajMohan, as the Minister for Film Technology and the Cinematograph Act, deserves some time and a fair opportunity to settle into this role,” he added, along with posting a picture of Vijay and Rajmohan.
Our Honorable Chief Minister and Nanba #CMJosephVijay surely would not have taken this decision without careful thought and consideration. Rather than reacting impulsively, let us give it some time and extend our support. I’m hopeful that Minister Raj Mohan will deliver his best… pic.twitter.com/oA1o9vKD7T
— Raghava Lawrence (@offl_Lawrence) May 17, 2026
Actor-producer T Siva also shared the same picture on X minutes later and wrote, “Honorable Minister @imrajmohan is not only highly popular on social media platforms but also possesses substantial experience in that field. He has even directed a film. Moreover, he shares strong friendships and close ties with many in the cinema industry.”
“Given his deep understanding of the challenges and current circumstances facing the Tamil cinema sector, selecting him as the Minister for the Tamil Film Industry would be an exceedingly appropriate decision. Heartfelt thanks to the Honorable Chief Minister Vijay for making this excellent choice (folded hands emoji),” added Siva.
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Who is Rajmohan?
Rajmohan broke through in 2009 after winning season 2 of reality TV show Tamil Pechu Engal Moochu on Star Vijay. Also a stand-up comedian, he served as a mentor and judge on Comicstaan Semma Comedy Pa in 2020 on Prime Video, the Tamil version of popular comedy talent hunt show Comicstaan. He has also appeared in a number of films since 2017, before he made his directorial debut with Baba Black Sheep in 2023.
However, his primary claim to fame has been through his popular YouTube channel Put Chutney. It first gained recognition in 2017 when he posted the video, Who Killed Anitha, which probed into the death of a medical aspirant by suicide after she opposed the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test). He further advocated easy access to education during the Covid-19 pandemic by launching a dedicated YouTube channel for college students whose classes were hampered by the global shutdown.
Why does Vishal say Tamil cinema is ‘bleeding’?
In his tweet, Vishal claimed the Tamil film industry is “bleeding”. Along with expressing his dissatisfaction over the appointment of Rajmohan, the actor-producer also highlighted three requests for the betterment of Tamil cinema:
1. Kindly introduce government ticketing window which will bring revenue to government as well as relief to viewers who pay Rs 30 per ticket.
2. Kindly abolish local body tax, as we are the only state in India to induce two taxes, against the “one India one tax “rule.
3. Kindly increase subsidy for small films every year from the current meager amount given.
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Not only Vishal, but also veteran actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan met Vijay on Saturday, and submitted six “important demands emphasizing that the Tamil Nadu government’s support and embrace are essential for the Tamil film industry, which is facing various obstacles”. These demands are as follows:
1. Launch of a state-owned OTT platform where Tamil audiences could access Tamil cinema, independent film and documentaries at affordable and subsidised rates.
2. Abolition of local body entertainment tax levied at 4 percent. This will greatly help the Tamil film industry.
3. Creation of a dedicated anti-piracy enforcement team within the Tamil Nadu police cyber crime department to protect Tamil cinema with powers to enforce real time takedowns of pirated content.
4. Permission for theatres to screen five shows per day for all films.
5. Making an eight-week OTT release window mandatory for all films released in Tamil Nadu.
6. Introduction of a film production incentive scheme, which will restore Tamil Nadu as country’s leading film production hub while also generating employment and promoting tourism across the state.
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Earlier this month, on May 2, the Tamil Nadu producers’ association also called for a strike in order to raise their voice against Tamil actors’ resistance to the profit-sharing model. While a number of leading Tamil actors demand Rs 50 crore as their fees upfront, given the low performance of their films in the past few years, the producers have now demanded they be paid only Rs 25 crore upfront and the remaining Rs 25 crore on a profit-sharing basis, so that they can share the financial load of the filmmakers.
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