Director Seeman

Introduction

Senthamizhan Seeman, an Indian personality with several facets, was born on November 8, 1966. In addition to acting as the chief coordinator of the Naam Tamilar Katchi political party in Tamil Nadu, he has dabbled in politics and film directing. He was raised in Aranaiyur, Tamil Nadu, where he first showed a deep affection for the Dravidian movement's principles. He decided to work in the film industry and eventually relocated to Chennai to fulfill his ambitions. Seeman's career in film began as an assistant director working with renowned directors Bharathiraja and Manivannan.

With "Panchalankurichi," a 1996 village action movie starring Prabhu and Madhubala, Seeman began his directing career. "Iniyavale" (1998), a romantic comedy starring notable actresses including Suvalakshmi, Gouthami, and Keerthi Reddy, he renewed his collaboration with Prabhu. Sathyaraj and Khushbu appeared in their third project, "Veeranadai" (2000), although it received poor reviews and had a lackluster box office success. It was difficult for Seeman to get producers for his later projects due to the failures of his earlier movies.

He worked on four projects in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including "Sethupathi Cheemaiyile" with Rajkiran, "Anandham" with Karthik, "Karma Veerar" with Sarathkumar, and "Vaigai Karai Oram" with Vijayakanth. However,none of them was successful.Later, Seeman made a comeback with "Thambi" (2006), a vigilante movie set in a hamlet and starring Madhavan.Despite receiving conflicting reviews, the movie did well at the box office.Despite wanting to pursue a career as a director, Seeman had trouble securing producers and actors for his other suggested films.

Activism and Politics

Seeman's involvement in numerous social and political causes has shaped his political career.In the 2006 assembly elections, he actively supported the DMK alliance and consistently defended Periyar's philosophy.He made headlines for joining forces with S. Ramadoss of the Pattali Makkal Katchi and speaking out against Vijayakanth's candidacy.

During the impending conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE in 2008, Velupillai Prabhakaran and Seeman had a meeting. As a result of this interaction, he started speaking out against the widespread Tamil killings committed during Sri Lanka's civil war, which was a turning point in his political career. His arrest and subsequent confinement, which included the application of the National Security Act, the blocking of his passport, and state monitoring, followed his emotional speech in Rameswaram.

Seeman was detained at Kalapet prison in 2009 after being arrested for supporting the LTTE under the National Security Act. He was a key figure in the founding of the Naam Tamilar Iyakkam in May 2009 during a gathering in Madurai, which took place at the same time as the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Later, this group developed into Naam Tamilar Katchi, a political organization.

When a crowd gathered to protest the killing of a Tamil fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy, Seeman was once more detained, this time in Chepauk. He spent five months in custody in the Vellore Central Prison.

The Period from 2011-2019

Following his release from the Vellore prison, Seeman aggressively campaigned for the opposition party, the Congress party, in the 2011 State Assembly elections. He supported AIADMK while remaining impartial toward MDMK and DMK. His campaigning reached 59 of the 63 districts where the Congress party was running, and as a result, the party lost in almost all of those districts.

Following the 2011 Assembly elections, Seeman and his party became deeply involved in some cases, including demonstrations against the Kudankulam nuclear power facilities and support for Tamil fishermen who the Sri Lankan Navy was attacking.Seeman declared his party's intention to campaign against Congress, BJP, and DMDK candidates during the 2014 parliamentary elections.The party also vowed to back the ADMK.

The party introduced Veera Thamizhar Munnani in February 2015 to preserve and revive traditional Tamil culture. Seeman and 175 other people were detained in September 2016 for attempting to occupy the Srivaikuntam dam while desilting operations were taking place.

2016 Elections for the Tamil Nadu Assembly

Naam Tamilar Katchi ran in all 234 assembly districts in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. Attempting to represent the Cuddalore seat himself, Seeman received only 12,497 votes, placing fifth and losing his deposits. In the elections, the party as a whole did not gain any seats.

Indian General Elections in 2019

Naam Tamilar Katchi ran candidates in each of Tamil Nadu's 39 constituencies for the general elections in India in 2019. However, because the party barely won 4% of the votes, all constituencies lost their deposits. Notably, the party outperformed cities in terms of performance.

Personal Life

Seeman is wed to Kayalvizhi, a former Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the daughter of K. Kalimuthu. In September 2013, their marriage was performed in accordance with Tamil customs at the YMCA grounds in Nandanam, Chennai.

His private life has not been without controversy, particularly about actress Vijayalakshmi, who asserted to be dating Seeman in 2007 while the two were working on his movie "Vaazhthugal." Following a public argument and accusations of adultery, Vijayalakshmi later made an attempt on her life in July 2020, blaming Seeman and his supporters for her suffering.

Seeman openly stated his desire to wed a Sri Lankan Tamil woman in 2011, specifically Yarlmathy, an LTTE fighter's widow, but their engagement never materialized.

Controversies

Seeman has been involved in several disputes during his career. He was detained in Canada in November 2009 after giving a provocative speech in which he allegedly discussed rekindling the civil conflict in Sri Lanka and made divisive remarks towards the Sinhala people.

Another episode was Seeman publicly announcing the murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi while running for a by-election, which drew harsh condemnation and legal action against him.

Seeman's advocacy of caste-based ethnic purism is the most divisive component of his political stance. He contends that the ongoing control of non-Tamils, primarily Telugu, in Tamil Nadu based on caste and historical immigration, is to blame for the loss of the Tamil population.

The sincerity of his position has also been questioned due to his support for Tamil Eelam and the LTTE. For instance, leaked audio recordings revealed his objection to "Methagu," a pro-LTTE film that had received favorable reviews from Tamils in Sri Lanka and India. In another audio recording that has emerged, he also used foul language towards dead LTTE warrior Pottu Amman.

Yaseen Malik, the head of the Kashmiri separatist movement, was invited to one of Seeman's public gatherings in 2013, and this drew controversy. Most recently, during the campaign for the 2023 elections, Seeman made remarks against the Vijaynagar monarchs and the Arunthathiyar community that sparked demonstrations, anger, and an Election Commission notice.

Conclusion

Seeman's broad career in film and politics, his constant support for Tamil identity, and his involvement in several scandals are all hallmarks of his life story. These factors have both helped and hampered his political career.