3 min readHyderabadSep 18, 2026 08:34 PM IST
Mandaadi director Mathimaran Pugazhendhi has issued a public clarification after his comments at the film’s success meet about actor Suhas facing remarks about his skin tone were interpreted by some as a criticism of the Telugu community at large.
At the Mandaadi success meet on Thursday, Mathimaran revealed that Suhas, who makes his Tamil debut with the film, faced remarks about his skin colour from someone back home during the shoot. He had said on stage: “We do not discriminate against our actors based on their colour in Tamil Nadu.” The comment, while directed at the specific individuals who made the remarks about Suhas, was perceived by a section of Telugu social media users as a blanket criticism of Telugu people and Telugu cinema.
On Friday, Mathimaran addressed the controversy directly. “When I spoke about Suhas and the racist comments he had faced because of his skin colour, I was speaking only about one person and the comments directed at him. My words were never intended to refer to the Telugu people, the Telugu audience, or Telugu cinema as a whole,” he said.
Also Read: Amid Mandaadi’s success, director says Suhas faced racist comments: ‘Don’t judge by colour’
The director pointed to his own public record to support the clarification. “At our Hyderabad pre-release event, I openly said that the Telugu film industry is leading the country today, and I have immense respect for the industry and its audience,” he said.
Mathimaran said he would never intentionally say anything against the audience that has embraced both him and his film.
Mandaadi, which stars Soori and Suhas and is Tamil cinema’s first catamaran racing drama, has collected Rs 79.93 crore worldwide in its first eight days, with a significant portion of its business coming from the Telugu market, where it was distributed by Mythri Movie Distributors.
Story continues below this ad
“I would never intentionally say anything against the people who have given so much love to me and to Mandaadi. If my words were misunderstood, I sincerely regret that. My respect and affection for Telugu cinema and the Telugu audience remain unchanged,” he said.
I want to clarify something about what I said at yesterday’s Mandaadi success meet event.
When I spoke about Suhas and the racist comments he had faced because of his skin colour, I was speaking only about one person and the comments directed at him. My words were never intended… pic.twitter.com/skqMkeeEFE
— Mathimaran Pugazhendhi (@MathiMaaran) September 18, 2026
He reiterated that his comments were about a specific incident involving one individual, not a community. “I spoke in support of Suhas and about what was said to him by one person. Never about an entire community,” he said.
Leave a Reply