Sivaji Ganesan's fans protest the use of the 'Parasakthi' title in Sivakarthikeyan's film with wall posters across Chennai

Released in 1952, 'Parasakthi', with its screenplay and dialogue penned by the legendary Kalaignar, marked the debut of Sivaji Ganesan and was produced by National Pictures. The film received immense praise from audiences and is regarded as a landmark in Tamil cinema history. The title Parasakthi has now been chosen for an upcoming film directed by Sudha Kongara, starring Sivakarthikeyan. The announcement was recently made with the release of a title teaser. However, the use of the Parasakthi title for Sivakarthikeyan's film has faced several challenges, particularly from fans of Sivaji Ganesan, who opposed its usage. This controversy sparked a social media outcry, with fans taking to the streets, and putting up posters in Chennai. One of the posters read, 'Parasakthi' is the one and only, we will preserve the identity of Tamil cinema history,” while another condemned the title, stating, “We condemn the use of the 'Parasakthi' title, the identity of Tamil cinema.” Even before the official announcement from Sivakarthikeyan's team, there were rumors that 'Parasakthi' was going to be used for the film, leading to further opposition from the Sivaji Ganesan Social Welfare Association.
Sivakarthikeyan's 'Parasakthi' earlier faced a title clash with Vijay Antony's film, directed by Arun Prabhu, as both films were registered with the same title in Telugu. Vijay Antony, who is both acting in and producing his film, shared a certificate showing that the title was registered with the South Indian Film Trade Association last year. In response, Sivakarthikeyan's producer, Akash Baskaran, posted a certificate from both the Tamil and Telugu Film Producers' Associations, confirming their registration of the title as well.
After the confusion, Akash Baskaran and Vijay Antony met in person to resolve the issue. Once settled, Akash Baskaran thanked the Kalaignar family, AVM Productions, and Sivaji Ganesan's family. However, National Pictures, the producer of the original 'Parasakthi', issued a statement claiming full ownership of the title. The statement clarified that the film was produced by Perumal Mudaliar under National Pictures, while AVM Productions only held distribution rights in specific regions. The studio also revealed plans to digitally remaster and re-release the original film, requesting that no one use the 'Parasakthi' title moving forward.