Ramesh Selvan’s Tamil film Swathi Kolai Vazhakku (Swathi Murder Case), a retelling of the murder of software engineer Swathi in Chennai in 2016, has now been changed to Nungambakkam, reported The News Minute. The title refers to the railway station where 24-year-old Swathi was stabbed to death. Ramkumar, who was arrested for the murder, allegedly committed suicide in prison.
Selvan was accused of sensationalising the tragedy when he announced the movie a few months ago. In an interview with Scroll.in, Selvan had said, “I was deeply affected by how the entire saga panned out…My intention is not to make money out of this film, but to understand the entire case.”
Swathi’s father, K Santhanagopalakrishnan, had expressed his fears that the movie would misrepresent the facts of the case, and pleaded with the state Director General of Police for a ban on the film. In June, the Chennai police registered an FIR against the producers after Santhanagopalakrishnan filed a formal complaint. On Monday, Santhanagopalakrishnan lodged a fresh complaint, appealing to the authorities to pursue the matter. The film’s trailer has since been removed from the internet.
Selvan now claims that the movie is only loosely based on the Swathi murder. “There is no scene about either Swathi’s family or Ramkumar’s family,” he claimed. “Neither have I projected anything about Swathi’s and Ramkumar’s personal life.” Nungambakkam will be submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification soon, and it is aiming for an August release.