Kanguva producer Gnanavel Raja says sorry to Ameer. Will this end war of words over Paruthiveeran?

Producer KE Gnanavel Raja on Wednesday issued a statement apologising to filmmaker Ameer in a bid to end the endless debates involving the production of Paruthiveeran. 

"Paruthiveeran controversy has been going on for 17 years. But, I have never talked about it (in public). I have always called him Ameer 'anna.' I have also been very close with his family members from the beginning. In the recent interviews, his false allegations against me pained me a lot. Addressing those allegations, if some of my words had hurt him, I extend my heartfelt apology to him. I have the highest regard for the film industry, which is by livelihood, and those who work in it," said Gnanavel.

Gnanavel's apology comes in light of the growing backlash against him on social media and within the Tamil film industry. In recent days, close to a dozen high-profile members of the industry have issued statements condemning Gnanavel. 

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Many took offence to Gnanavel's comments about Ameer's talents as a filmmaker. The producer suggested that Ameer learned the intricacies of making a film at his expense. "To put it bluntly, Ameer learned how to make a film with my money," Gnanavel said in an interview while accusing him of overshooting the budget. 

Gnanavel also sparked a lot of outrage when he claimed that filmmaker Sudha Kongara thought Ameer's filmmaking talents were not up to the mark after watching his movie Raam. He also claimed that actor Karthi was in half a mind about whether to entrust his debut film to Ameer in the beginning. 

Following this controversy, several filmmakers and actors like M Sasikumar, Samuthirakani, Ponvannan and Bharathiraja among others expressed strong condemnation against Gnanavel. 

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Given Paruthiveeran's reputation as a cult classic in Tamil cinema, fans also expressed outrage against Gnanavel on the internet. 

Gnanavel owns one of the leading film productions Studio Green, which is bankrolling several highly-anticipated movies, including Kanguva and Thangalaan.