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Vetrimaaran

Vetrimaaran stands as a towering figure in the of Indian cinema, celebrated for his multifaceted contributions as a film director, producer, and screenwriter, primarily within the vibrant tapestry of Tamil cinema. As of 2021, his illustrious career has been adorned with accolades, boasting five National Film Awards, eight Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, and two Filmfare South Awards.

Born in 1975 in the culturally rich city of Cuddalore, Vetrimaaran inherited a legacy of academia. His father, Dr. V. Chitravel, a distinguished veterinary scientist, and his mother, Megala Chitravel, a respected novelist, provided the backdrop for his early years. The seeds of his cinematic journey were sown during his tenure at Loyola College, where a course on television presentation ignited his passion for the art of filmmaking.

The pivotal juncture in Vetrimaaran’s career came through his association with veteran filmmaker Balu Mahendra. Serving as one of Mahendra’s lead assistants, Vetrimaaran gleaned invaluable insights into the nuances of filmmaking. Faced with the perennial dilemma of choosing between academia and the allure of cinema, Vetrimaaran chose the latter, forsaking his academic pursuits at Loyola to chart a course into the world of films.

His directorial debut, “Polladhavan” in 2007, was a cinematic endeavor inspired by the quest for a lost bike. The film garnered acclaim, with Vetrimaaran’s directorial style drawing favorable comparisons to Balu Mahendra’s illustrious approach. The subsequent venture, “Aadukalam” (2011), delved into the intense world of cockfighting in Madurai and earned Vetrimaaran six National Film Awards, solidifying his status as a formidable directorial force.

In an expansion of his cinematic footprint, Vetrimaaran founded the Grass Root Film Company, a production house that would serve as a vehicle for his creative endeavors. “Visaranai” (2015), a film exploring the brutal hardships faced by Tamil laborers at the hands of the police, emerged as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards, shedding light on societal injustices.

The ensuing years witnessed Vetrimaaran’s continued ascendancy. Collaborations with actor Dhanush in films such as “Vada Chennai” (2018) and “Asuran” (2019) not only garnered critical acclaim but also tasted success at the box office. “Vada Chennai,” in particular, distinguished itself by portraying the narrative of a skilled carrom player ensnared in a gripping gang war. In his role as a producer, Vetrimaaran championed several noteworthy films, including “Poriyaalan” (2014) and the critically acclaimed “Kaaka Muttai” (2015). Both his directorial ventures and productions consistently received accolades, establishing him as a revered figure within the film industry.

Vetrimaaran’s creative prowess extended to the anthology “Paava Kadhaigal” (2020), where his segment, “Oor Iravu,” delved into the sensitive issue of honor killings. The segment, marked by its powerful storytelling and deft direction, earned acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

Throughout his illustrious career, Vetrimaaran’s films have been a canvas for exploring diverse themes, seamlessly blending realism with commercial elements. His ability to capture the essence of societal issues and present them cinematically has bestowed upon him the status of one of the preeminent directors in the panorama of Indian cinema.

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Vetrimaaran

• Born September 4 , 1975 · Cuddalore, Tamilnadu, India
• Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. Vetrimaaran made his directorial debut with the Polladhavan. His second feature film Aadukalam won six National Film Awards. He produces films under his production company, Grass Root Film Company. His movie Visaranai (2016) was selected as India's official entry to the Academy Awards.His film Asuran (2019) was named as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Raju
• Children Poonthendral
• Parents V Chitravel Megala Chitravel

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Why Vetrimaaran is the most interesting director in Tamil films today

Vetrimaaran is arguably among the most interesting filmmaker working in the tamil film industry. here’s documenting his rise and what it takes to be a talent like him..

His production house’s name, Grass Root Film Company, is a clear pointer to Vetrimaaran’s worldview. This Deepavali’s biggest release in Tamil Nadu is, arguably, Kodi (Flag), a political thriller he has produced that stars Dhanush in his first double role, as twin brothers. The twins may be identical but their natures are mutually exclusive. Refreshingly, Kodi casts Trisha as a feisty woman politico, giving Dhanush’s eponymous hero a run for his money.

“For a hero movie, it’s pretty decently written,” pronounces Baradwaj Rangan, film critic and associate editor at The Hindu. “There’s a conflict, there are surprises and even within a commercial film, it’s properly written and directed. It’s not some random moments strung together to get people whistling.”

The film’s premise is how politics and political interests shape communities and the quality of their life. In this case, it involves skullduggery surrounding a factory emitting toxic effluents. It could be happening not too far away from our backyards.

At the Oscars

Vetrimaaran himself, however, was conspicuous by his absence during Kodi’s promos. He has a bigger task on hand. Visaaranai (Interrogation), the part-docudrama, part-crime thriller he directed, is India’s official entry to the 89th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. So he is in the US persuading jurors take note of his film, which has some truly hairy torture scenes. The last Tamil film that made it to the Oscars was 16 years back: Hey Ram starring Kamal Haasan.

Usually, the choice of any film to represent the country at the Oscars polarises critics, but Visaaranai remains largely unchallenged. Rangan agrees. “Visaaranai was a fantastic film.”

It tells the story of innocent migrant labourers picked up and tortured by the police to extract a false confession for a fatal robbery at an influential man’s house. How the film, shot in 42 days on a Rs 2-crore budget and eventually wining three National Film Awards, got made is interesting. After his Aadukalam in 2011, Vetrimaaran had busied himself with his production ventures, Udhayam NH4, Poriyaalan and Kaaka Muttai. When he was prepared to shoot his next, the script he picked was Soodhadi, a story on gambling, proposing Dhanush in the lead role. However, the actor had to take time off to work in Balki’s Shamitabh, being shot in Mumbai.

Vetrimaaran was mooting a book adaptation when director Balu Mahendra’s assistant serendipitously presented him with Lock Up, a riveting, partly autobiographical book written by M Chandrakumar, a former autorickshaw driver. The book, which took five years to write and another four to publish, narrates his harrowing experience while in jail in (then) Andhra Pradesh.

“When I pitched the story to Dhanush, who later produced the film, I said I can only guarantee you a three-day weekend run at the box office. But it’s a low-budget venture; you’ll get your investment back,” Vetrimaaran laughs. “Dhanush was amused, but agreed to fund the project. [I thought] it’s the kind of film that would not bring in repeat audiences. I was proved wrong and it got a good three-week run.”

The author, Chandrakumar, was incarcerated for a fortnight way back in 1983. “Yet his experiences are relevant even today,” points out Vetrimaaran. “Visaaranai reflects a stark reality from which you cannot shut yourself out: that is its success. It was challenging to find the right kind of actors and locations. We employed real stuntmen who could exercise restraint while beating up the actors.”

“What was unique was that there were a lot of first-time actors in the film; that added rawness to it,” says K Hariharan, filmmaker and critic. “Actors like Samuthirakkani and Kishore were entirely on the sidelines. That made it an interesting watch.”

Astutely, the team decided to send it to international film fests right away, confident it would work with foreign audiences. Visaaranai premiered at the Orrizonti section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, a first for a Tamil film, and won the Amnesty International Italia Award. Crucially, the European audience was exposed to a hitherto unexplored form of Tamil cinema that dealt with grim reality in a non-dramatic but powerful way.

“Europeans have a different policing system. They found my narrative a bit harsh, though they were moved,” explains Vetrimaaran.

A rooted voice

It is Vetrimaaran’s preoccupation with sometimes gritty, sometimes heartwarming reality that makes this 41-year-old one of the best filmmakers of our times.

“The best thing about the regional filmmakers is that they bring in a very ‘native’ feel,” says Rangan. “Like if I watch Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat for instance, I find [elements] that remind me of Vetrimaaran. But that’s more because these filmmakers do these ‘rooted’ things very well. They give you the sense of the atmosphere, the rhythms of life in that particular environment, they take care to bring them alive.”

His critically acclaimed debut venture, Polladhavan (Ruthless Man) in 2007, followed a lower middle-class young man’s search for his stolen bike, an exercise that takes him through the seamy underworld. Four years later came Aadukalam (Arena), a Pongal release that raked in six National Film Awards. The cockfight arena was where love, ego, honour, friendship and betrayal were played out in the rustic backdrop of Madurai.

Says Manimaran, long-time friend and assistant, “Vetri used to like watching cockfights in the neighbourhood in our hometown. So he thought we could develop a story around them.”

There was no doubt about who would play the lead. “I wrote Aadukalam keeping Dhanush in mind,” says Vetrimaaran. “As an actor, he delivers exactly what I need and sometimes more. As a producer, he offers me complete freedom and does not interfere at all. He trusts me completely.”

Rangan explains the Vetrimaaran touch, “There is a world of difference in the way he uses the song and dance elements in Polladhavan and Aadukalam. They have become more organic and rooted; they’re not fantasy elements.”

“I personally prefer Aadukalam to Visaaranai, but it’s like comparing apples and oranges,” says Hariharan. “Aadukalam had a certain kind of warmth and spontaneity. Visaaranai, to me, looked rather staged.”

He explains, “Visaaranai’s [appeal across the world] is that for the first time in Tamil cinema, you see this kind of brute reality without the director taking recourse to a love story or family drama. It’s also interesting that a country like India allowed such a strongly critical film on the system. There’s no doubt that Vetrimaaran is a bold filmmaker.”

Vetrimaaran’s productive chemistry with Dhanush has paid rich dividends. The two went on to produce Kaaka Muttai (Crow’s Egg) in 2015, a subversive film poking fun at what is regarded as cool - pizzas, in this case. This little gem, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, tracks two brothers from a Chennai slum dying to taste a pizza. Directed by M Manikandan with wit, not once is the children’s dignity compromised. Their family struggles in a heartless and corrupt city and soon we find ourselves cheering for our little heroes. Kaaka Muttai pocketed two National Film Awards.

“There is a stamp of quality that people have begun to associate with Vetrimaaran, because even the films he produces are pretty decent,” says Rangan, adding that he looks for, and gets, that certain quality.

Vetrimaaran’s genius lies in shining a light on people we would not even glance at in our rat race. His films show us that ordinary people often lead extraordinary lives if only we stop to talk to them.

Smitten by cinema

Born in Cuddalore near Puducherry and raised in Ranipet, a suburban town in Vellore district, two and a half hours from Chennai, Vetrimaaran was smitten by cinema even as a child. His mother, a writer, ran a school in the area, while his father was a veterinarian. Friends remember him as a film buff who watched every movie that came to town.

“He would bunk classes and watch them, each three or four times. Then he would come to the school ground where we used to hang out until 7:30 in the evening and would retell the whole story to us. My friends and I have actually walked out of the theatre at times because the film was nowhere as good as his narration. He still has that quality,” says Manimaran, his assistant.

Vetrimaaran was in his second year of Masters in English Literature in 1999 when the now-deceased filmmaker Balu Mahendra was invited to judge a short film contest at the Loyola College, Chennai. Shortly afterwards, he attended a seminar conducted by the director and was inspired enough to assist him in Julie Ganapathy, Athu Oru Kanaa Kaalam and the television series Kadhai Neram.

Athu Oru Kanaa Kaalam cemented his friendship with the lead actor, Dhanush, whom he describes as his best friend. While still assisting Balu Mahendra, Vetrimaaran pitched the story of Desiya Nedunchalai, and the actor readily agreed to play the lead.

Recalls Manimaran, “Producers were not hard to come by because we had Dhanush. But a few had misgivings about how Vetri would handle the project as a newcomer. So we tossed aside that script, which I later made into Udhayam NH4.”

The initial years proved to be rough. “I was pitching different scripts to different people for three years and it was the sixth producer who okayed Polladhavan,” says Vetrimaaran on his directorial debut.

Adds Manimaran, who assisted him in the project, “After the film was edited, we were really scared to show it to the producer. We kept stalling the screening telling him it may not have come out as he expected. Finally, when he saw it, he was satisfied. We were relieved and gradually grew confident.”

Pushing for excellence

When Manimaran himself forayed into direction with Udhayam NH4 in 2013, Vetrimaaran returned the favour by stepping in as producer under his banner, Grass Root Film Company. As he puts it, “I want my production house to be a platform for good, interesting ideas. I can find a producer for my films, but others, who may be first-time filmmakers, might have innovative scripts that mainstream producers might not understand. Like Kaaka Muttai for instance.

“I produce films in partnership as I may not be able to afford the entire budget. Dhanush ends up co-producing some of them as our tastes are similar. None of my producers ever ask me for the budget. I always make sure it is within their means and I can give the desired returns.”

For someone who has been successful both commercially as critically, Vetrimaaran has directed only three films in nine years. “For me, every film is a learning process. After each, I take time to unlearn. Then I find new content, learn it completely and then execute it.”

Manimaran describes his working process thus, “Many directors make changes to the script on the spot. But Vetrimaaran is different because he pays attention to detail. He puts in a lot of effort, so there may be last-minute adjustments with lighting and locations. Unlike working with other directors, you need to be available 24 hours.”

Outside of work, the father of two, who met his wife Aarthi while at college, likes to race pigeons, pretty much like the characters he portrays. His rootedness has also led him to voice the germ of an idea: setting up an organic farm eventually.

Rangan describes grit as the definitive quality of Vetrimaaran’s films, and praises his skill in animating the atmosphere in terms of the integrity of the characters, the plot, and the texture. “The way he shapes the characters and writes them, you feel that these are not [just] individual people; you get a sense of where they come from, where they belong. [They’re] not just some random characters floating around.”

His fans are already talking about his fourth film, Vada Chennai (North Chennai), an ambitious gangster trilogy he has been planning since 2003. After undergoing several changes of scripts and stars, Dhanush, Vijay Sethupathi, Amala Paul and Samuthirakkani are among those confirmed on the project that is currently under way. Slated for release next year, Vada Chennai is also bound to have the by-now classic Vetrimaaran stamp.

(Published in arrangement with GRIST Media.)

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On Vetri Maaran’s 46th birthday, his five tips for becoming a filmmaker

So how does Vetri Maaran strike a fine balance between art and commerce? Hear it from the man himself.

National Award-winning filmmaker Vetri Maaran, who is celebrating his 46th birthday on Saturday, is one of the new formidable voices in Tamil cinema. A disciple of iconic director Balu Mahendra, Vetri Maaran has succeeded where his mentor didn’t. While Balu Mahendra was a revered filmmaker who made some high-quality movies, he doesn’t have many box office hits to his credits. However, Vetri Maaran is one of the most commercially successful filmmakers today.

Vetri Maaran’s last film Asuran, starring his regular star Dhanush , had grossed a whopping Rs 100 crore at the box office. It is no mean feat for a filmmaker who usually makes emotionally heavy movies, which don’t follow the established grammar of commercial cinema.

Write, write, write

“Filmmaking is writing. Keep writing scripts over and over again. I have the liberty to make a movie without writing. But, I am not sure how long I can keep doing that. It is like Sehwag hitting sixes without footwork. If you lose the form, you can’t gain it back. So, we should play like Dravid. If you have your basics right, even when you are out of form, you can still deliver what you aspire for. Everybody should write. People tell me that they get stuck in the middle and can’t complete their scripts. Somehow, you should finish the script you start. The most gratifying feeling for a scriptwriter is when that person writes ‘The End’ on the script. Right or wrong, finish the script. And you should rewrite the story at least 10 times and share it with your friends for their opinion. Write, re-write, and forget. Do something else, go back to the script and write again. Writing is the alpha and omega (of filmmaking).”

Finding great stories

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Vetri Maaran has shown a great interest in adapting Tamil literature for the big screen. His landmark films such as Visaranai and Asuran were based on Tamil novels. His upcoming films Viduthalai and Vaadivaasal are also based on existing literary materials. “Writing and cinema are two different mediums. Not all great novels have become great movies. But, some average novels have been turned into great movies. We should see whether a novel has a cinematic quality. For me, the main goal is to understand the world a novelist has created and convey the intentions of the novel in the same way as intended by the author.”

Job-satisfaction is important

“Balu Mahendra sir used to tell me that the only thing in our control is to make a movie to the best of our ability. But, the commercial success of the film is an accident. I give my 100 percent in everything I do and I also make my team do the same while making a movie. If the audience connects to the film, we are happy with it. But, we should always have full satisfaction in the job we have done.”

Location, location, location

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In Vetri Maaran’s films, the location is a character in itself. And having a clear idea about the geography of the film and establishing it at the very beginning is key to a strong narration. “I can’t tell a story without establishing the geography of the story first. For example, I would have established the geography of the village in Aadukalam when Dhanush and his friends try to escape from the police raid at the beginning of the film.”

When you become a filmmaker

Vetri Maaran believes that a person stops experiencing his life as it is the moment he becomes a filmmaker. After he or she writes her first draft, everything and everyone becomes just an idea for the script. “Learn, experience, and debate. Watch a film, argue over it and repeat. The moment you start writing a script, you are closing yourself from life’s experiences. The End you put in the first script is also the end to your life’s experiences. From then on everything becomes a source to your script. My wife used to tell me, that ‘I won’t cry, because you will turn it into a scene in your film.’ Even before she points it out, I would have kept it as a scene in the film.”

Sibling founders of Neon Attack, a neon signboard company, impressed the sharks on Shark Tank India with their customisable and energy-efficient products. Namita Thapar and Aman Gupta joined hands. After negotiations, the founders stuck to their initial valuation of Rs 25 crore, impressing the sharks with their negotiation tactics.

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Vetrimaaran

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About Vetrimaaran

An Indian film director, screenwriter, & producer, Vetrimaaran is famous for his works in the Tamil films such as "Udhayam NH4", "Aadukalam", "Polladhavan", "Kaaka Muttai", "Visaranai", "Asuran", "Vada Chennai".

Source: @instagram.com/team_vetrimaaran

In 2012, Vetrimaaran opened his own production house named "Grass Root Film Company" and launched his maiden project "Udhayam- NH47" with Siddharth in the lead role and his associate Manimaran as a director. He started his career as an assistant director to Balu Mahendra for the "Kadai Neram" serial for Sun TV. He made his directorial debut with the "Polladhavan" which film won Vijay Award for Best Director in 2007, & his second feature film "Aadukalam" won six National Film Awards. On 27 September 2020, he was honored by a Special Award for his role in "Thirai Asuran". He also made a short film for the anthology entitled "Paava Kadhaigal" (2020) and it's one of the episodes is titled "Oor Iravu". His each of the film touched upon the issue of honor killing. He has also featured in guest appearances "Jigarthanda" in 2014.

Family and Early Life

Vetrimaaran was born to a Hindu family on 4 September 1975. His birthplace is Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India. He holds the nationality of Indian belonging to Indian-Asian ethnicity whereas his race is Asian. His religious belief is Hindu. As per his birthdate, his star or zodiac sign is Virgo. Vetrimaaran's present age is 45 as he cut his 45th birthday cake as of 2020. 

About Vetrimaaran's parents, he is the son of Dr. V. Chitravel (Father) and Megala Chitravel (Mother). His father was a veterinary scientist whereas his mother is a noted novelist. He has a sister who is an oenologist.

Vetrimaaran graduated in English Literature in 1994 from Loyola College, Chennai. Before, he completed his schooling in Tamil Nadu. Then, he joined YMCA, Chennai for his higher secondary education.

Vetrimaaran Wife and Children

Vetrimaaran is happily married to his beautiful wife named Aarthi, who is working as a General Manager in a Multinational Company. The couple is blessed with two children: a daughter named Poonthendral. He is straight by sexuality.

Source: @theopinionatedindian

Vetrimaaran Net Worth and Salary

The awards winning Vetrimaaran has an estimated net worth of over $5 million as of 2021. His primary source of income comes from film director, screenwriter, film producer as well as he earns almost 20-40 Lakh salary income. He has a huge car collection BMW and also actives charities work where he donated to NGOs and trust.

Vetrimaaran Body Measurements - Height and Weight

With a slim body build, Vetrimaaran has a height of 5 ft 7 in or 170 cm and his balanced weight is around 68 Kg or 150 lbs. His hair color is black and his eye color is dark brown. His body measurement is chest size: 40 inches, biceps size: 13 inches, & waist size: 32 inches.

Filmography

• 2007- "Polladhavan"
• 2011- "Aadukalam"
• 2013- "Udhayam NH4", "Naan Rajavaga Pogiren"
• 2014- "Poriyaalan"
• 2015- "Kaaka Muttai"
• 2016- "Visaranai", "Kodi"
• 2017- "Lens"
• 2018- "Annanukku Jai", "Vada Chennai"
• 2019- "Asuran", "Migaa Migaa Avasaram"

Source: @oracleglobe

• 2020- "Paava Kadhaigal"
• 2021- "Sangathalaivan", "Viduthalai", "VaadiVaasal"

As an Actor

• 2002- "Kadhai Virus"
• 2014- "Jigarthanda"

Awards and Nominations

• 2007- Vijay Award for "Polladhavan"
• 2011- Two National Film Award (Director, Screenplay), Filmfare Award, & SIIMA Award Vijay Award for "Aadhukalam"
• 2015- National Film Award, Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award, Norway Tamil Film Festival Award, Audience's Choice Award, Tamil Nadu State Film Award, Filmfare Award, and Edison Award for "Kaaka Muttai"
• 2016- National Film Award, & Three Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award (Film, Director, Screenplay) for "Visaranai"
• 2018- Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award for "Veda Chennai"
• 2019- National Film Award, Zee Cine Award, Behindwoods Gold Medal, & Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award for "Asuran"

Source: @twitter

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Director Vetri Maaran

Mr. Vetri Maaran is a National award winning Director who primarily works in the Tamil film industry. A graduate in Literature from Loyola College, Chennai, his grounding in Tamil Culture and Literature, his keen eye for detail and his sensitivity to the Political, socio-cultural context within which he stages his stories drives his unique film journey. He wears multiple hats – Producer, Director, Writer and as an educator with the founding of International Institute of Film and Culture (IIFC). IIFC is his way of giving back to society by providing opportunities to dreamers and creators from marginalised communities.

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'Incensed' trans man burns alive childhood friend

A transexual man who burnt alive his childhood classmate -- a software engineer -- in a gruesome manner was arrested and remanded to judicial custody, police said on Monday.

The suspect identified as Vetrimaran, a trans man who had changed his name from Pandi Maheswari, blindfolded, chained and burnt R Nandhini alive, under the pretext of surprising her on her birthday eve on Saturday, at Thalambur near Kelambakkam, Chennai's southern suburb, they said.

The victim, a 25-year-old software engineer from Madurai and working in Chennai, did not suspect his intentions, as Vetrimaran said he wanted to surprise Nandhini ahead of her birthday.

Nandhini has been residing at her relative's house in Chennai.

Police indicated that 'being empathetic' appears to have cost Nandhini her life.

Vetrimaran made her believe that he would give her a surprise on her birthday eve on Saturday and convinced her to accompany him to a deserted place in Ponmar in Thalambur police limits.

He then blindfolded her and chained her hands and feet as a 'surprise', slashed her neck and wrists, emptied a can of petrol and torched her before fleeing from the spot, said police.

Hearing her cries, a few passers-by alerted the police.

However, before she was rushed in an ambulance to the Chromepet Government hospital for treatment, Nandhini gave out the mobile number of Vetrimaran, police said.

"Initially, he came to identify Nandhini and had accompanied her to the GH but later disappeared," a police officer said.

He was however, nabbed on Sunday and later remanded in judicial custody.

Investigation revealed that Pandi Maheswari, 26, studied with Nandhini at a school in Madurai.

Nandhini had continued her friendship on humanitarian grounds even after Maheswari changed her name to Vetrimaran.

The two had worked in a company in Chennai, they added.

He was in regular touch with her. He got incensed when she started avoiding him.

"He became over-possessive when he noticed her talking to other male friends. There was an argument between the two over this," said a police official.

On December 23, on Nandhini's birthday eve, Vetrimaran called her to say that he would not quarrel with her and asked her to meet him as he planned 'a surprise' for her birthday.

After presenting her new clothes, he took her to an orphanage near Tambaram and made a donation. On the way home, he took Nandhini to Ponmar where he blindfolded her, tied her limbs, inflicted cut injuries on her neck and wrists, doused petrol and torched her, and fled.

After completing her studies, Nandhini moved to Chennai and got employed in a software firm and was residing at her paternal uncle's home in Kannagi Nagar in Chennai.

While Vetrimaran, residing at Mappedu was in regular touch with her.

"Had Nandhini told us there was a problem then we would have helped her. Being empathetic cost Nandhini her life," her father said.

Her elder sister said the family got a call from the police saying her sister had been set afire and that she was dead.

On Sunday evening, the police handed over Nandhini's body to her family on her birthday.

CHINESE CHALLENGE

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In a statement, Stalin said, “This is a grief which should not and cannot be faced by a father." Extending sympathies, Palaniswami said, “I share the grief of Saidai Duraisamy. I convey my deep condolences and sympathies to him and his family.”

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May his soul rest in peace.