Director Saami of Mirugam fame is set to make a movie starring Raj Kiran titled Sariththiram; the earlier title Ayyanar was not good, according to superstition.
Ayyanar or Sathanar worship is a very ancient ancestral clan-based worship linked to nature and fertility worship, dominating rural Tamil Nadu
Naming a film after Ayyanar, the village deity, who is revered as Kaaval Theyvam (guardian deity), is not a wise thing, according to industry beliefs. Experienced veterans in the field had supposedly advised Saami to change the name, citing the misfortunes of those who dared to name their film after the God.
One example was Parthibhan, who had conducted a grand pooja for his film Karuppannasami (another name for the deity). The film was shelved after a week’s shooting.
There are more examples like director Thiruppathisamy of Narasimma (name of another local deity) fame, who died in an accident even before the project was wrapped up. Saran, producer of Muni, had to shut shop after producing the movie.
Some may believe this superstition and some may not, but the fact remains that no one wants to risk big money and the livelihood of hundreds of actors and technicians. So Saami played it safe and opted to change the title to Sariththiram.
Though everything is ready, Saami is now waiting for his ban to direct movies to get revoked.
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