A remarkable gathering of Tamil cinema’s leading filmmakers rallied behind My Lord on Saturday, with directors Bala, Mari Selvaraj, Lingusamy, Vijay Milton and T Se Gnanavel among those praising the film ahead of its February 13 release. Directed by Raju Murugan, whose Joker won the National Award for Best Tamil Film in 2017, the film stars Sasikumar and marks the Tamil debut of Kannada actress and singer Chaithra Achar, with music by Sean Roldan.
Director Ravikumar set the tone for the event. “If you rank Raju Murugan’s films, this would stand first. The central idea is beautiful: a man may lose, but humanity never loses,” he said. Mari Selvaraj, whose own work explores marginalised communities, described the film as deeply challenging. “It asks a clear question: when a simple man has lost everything, what is the last weapon left to him?” He pointed to a sequence involving Sasikumar’s character, a man who protects even ants and cats, facing the dilemma of whether he can look away when a fellow human being needs saving. “This is not a film that passes judgement. It makes you examine your own sense of justice.”
Sasikumar clarified that My Lord is not a courtroom drama despite its title. “Court scenes run for about ten minutes. This story is about power, about what happens when an ordinary man from the margins gets authority. What can he do with it?” he said. The title refers to the mindset of the protagonist Muthuchilpi. Of working with Raju Murugan, he added, “People told me he was a psycho. After working together, I understood: he is psycho about cinema, about delivering good films. That is all.”
Composer Sean Roldan, who previously collaborated with Raju Murugan on the National Award-winning Joker, called the reunion significant. “When he narrated this story, I expected a purely social film. But it turned out to be a crowd-pleaser as well,” he said. He praised Sasikumar as someone with no ego and noted that Chaithra Achar had completely transformed into a woman from Kovilpatti for her role.
Chaithra Achar, known in Kannada cinema for her acclaimed work in Sapta Sagaradaache Ello and as the singer behind the hit Sojugada Soojumallige, spoke of her growing affection for Tamil. “This experience has deepened my desire to learn the language further,” she said. She credited Raju Murugan for helping her overcome initial nervousness and called working with Sasikumar, the director-actor behind the landmark Subramaniapuram, a formative experience. Director Bala praised her directly: “Her intense, layered acting will hold audiences captive. Tamil cinema must protect and nurture talents like her.”
Producer Jayanthi Ambethkumar of Olympia Movies revealed how the project came together. Raju Murugan initially proposed a modest production, but the scale grew after Sasikumar joined. “I may produce many more films, but I don’t know if I’ll ever make one like My Lord,” he said. Raju Murugan, visibly emotional, attributed the film’s existence to the producer’s faith. “During the lowest point in my life, Ambethkumar told me that life must keep moving, not a single day should go to waste. The next day, we started working on this film.”
My Lord reunites the Joker trio of Raju Murugan, Sean Roldan and Guru Somasundaram, and also features Jayaprakash, Asha Sharath, Aramm director Gopi Nainar in an acting role, and Vasumithra. With cinematography by Nirav Shah, whose credits include Billa and 2.0, the film blends political satire with family drama. It releases in cinemas worldwide on February 13, distributed in Tamil Nadu by Sri Kumaran Films.