Even as the high-octane drama was just released on the big screen on January 10, 2026, actor Sivakarthikeyan’s period drama Parasakthi gets caught in an intense political storm. Earlier this week the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress officially called for the film to be banned, slamming the filmmakers for “deliberate distortion of history” and pushing a “pro-DMK” agenda and “anti-Hindu” stance.
Sudha Kongara directs the movie in which the unrest of 1960s student revolution and anti-Hindi imposition protests in Tamil Nadu take place. Although the movie has been a box-office darling, topping the ₹50 crore worldwide at its opening weekend, its depiction of the Indian National Congress (INC) has received heavy criticism.
The Claim: Historical Deceptions and Propaganda
All these have been well-explained in a thorough four-point memorandum by Arun Bhaskar, State Senior Vice President of the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress in which he charged that the film is a clever conspiracy to corrupt the image of the Congress party. Some objections are:
- Fabricated Language Policies: The Youth Congress argues that the film misrepresents the official role in the Congress government which forced the citizens of India to fill out all forms used for the Post Office in 1965 in Hindi. "This is a complete fabrication to demonize our party," Bhaskar said.
- Fictional Leadership Depictions: In the movie, protagonist (played by Sivakarthikeyan) meets former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on February 12, 1965 in Coimbatore.
The Youth Congress claims this meeting and the later scene, in which a burning train falls in front of her, never happened. Pollachi Killings The film’s climax reportedly involves using real photographs of Indira Gandhi and K. Kamaraj, accusing the Congress of killing over 200 Tamil protesters in Pollachi, a claim that the Youth Congress alleges has no evidentiary footing.
A “Pro-DMK” or “Anti-Hindu” Narrative?
Beyond historical accuracy, the Youth Congress has branded the film as “ideological propaganda.” Even the very name Parasakthi refers to the renowned 1952 film scripted by the late M. Karunanidhi that was the backbone of the Dravidian Movement. By revivifying the title and turning its attention to anti-Hindi agitation the same agitation from that which brought the DMK power and an end to the Congress rule of the state critics claim that the film is a plot that will cement the DMK's ideological base before the Assembly Elections in 2026.
It's that fact alone, thanks in large part to the film's release distributed by Red Giant Movies, which is the first family of the DMK that has lent the film more fuel to these charges of political bias. The Censor Board Row. The movie’s path to the big screen was already fraught. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) was said to require 25 cuts, changes to several references to “Hindi imposition” and some phrases connected with C.N. Annadurai.
Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had criticised the Censor Board earlier, accusing the BJP-led Union government of "weaponizing" the board for both the suppression of Tamil identity and its historical roots. Makers' Response: To deal with a growing backlash and negative online campaigns - said as starting with rival fanbase and political subdivisions- creator Dev Ramnath defended the film.
He said the team encountered significant obstacles to the film’s release and urged the public not to get caught up in “political sabotage” and “organized rating manipulation” on channels such as BookMyShow. The Youth Congress has issued warnings on protests across the state and on legal recourse if the “offending scenes” are not cleared away promptly, and an apology by the production house, Dawn Pictures.
