Mohan G.

Mohan G., also known as Mohan G Kshatriyan,^[1] is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter, who primarily active in the Tamil cinema. He is best known for Pazhaya Vannarapettai (2016), Draupathi (2020), Rudra Thandavam(2021) and Bakasuran (2023).

Mohan G.
Born	Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation(s)	Film director, Screenwriter
Years active	2016-present
Other political affiliations	Pattali Makkal Katchi, Veera Vanniyar Peravai

Personal life

Mohan G revealed that he had used his name "Mohan G Kshatriyan" during the release of his film Pazhaya Vannarapettai (2016) and claimed to have an attraction towards the name. He also claimed that "Kshatriyan" is a name which represents warrior spirit and also said that he has his caste name written as "Vanniya Kula Kshatriya" in his birth certificate.^[2] During an interview in February 2020, Mohan G said the suffix "Kshatriyan" in his name means as “someone who defends society” and said that he is totally unaware of what other varnas do.^[3]

Career

Mohan began his directorial career with Pazhaya Vannarapettai (2016), before making Draupathi (2020). The film had to be crowdfunded as no producer was willing to produce the film, fearing it would incite controversy.^[4][5][6] Opening to negative reviews,^[7] the film was criticized for its alleged intent to uphold casteism.^[8]

He worked with Richard Rishi again on Rudra Thandavam (2021).^[9] The film claimed that people belonging to the scheduled castes, official designation given to various Indian indigenous groups, misuse Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, an affirmative action legislation meant to protect them from discrimination and violence. It echoed the political views of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party.^[10] The film, criticised for allegedly promoting caste-pride and encouraging communalist hostility,^[11][12][13] received mostly negative reviews.^[14]

In 2023, Mohan worked on Bakasuran featuring Selvaraghavan and Natty in the lead roles.^[15] Following the film's release, Mohan noted that he had been approached by Telugu film producer Bellamkonda Suresh to direct the Telugu version of the film.^[16]

Mohan's next film will also be with Richard, marking his third collaboration with the actor.^[17]

Arrest

The district cyber crime police arrested Mohan in Chennai on 25 September 2024 for hurting the sentiments of Hindu devotees and Hindus during a YouTube interview where Mohan claimed that "impotency-inducing pills" were mixed with panchamirtham at Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani temple in Palani , Tamil Nadu.^[18] The Samayapuram police registered a case against him in response to a complaint filed by Kaviarasu, a manager of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department at the Arulmigu Mariamman Temple. ^[19] He was represented by a Pattali Makkal Katchi lawyer and released in his own bail by the Judicial Magistrate Court-III in Trichy.^[18][20] The Madurai High Court granted him anticipatory bail on several conditions. He was asked to issue a formal apology on social media and popular newspapers in Tamil Nadu, report to the Palani police station everyday for three weeks, and verify information before making any claims in the future. The Judge also suggested Mohan consider visiting and performing cleaning tasks at the Palani temple. In November 2024, Mohan released an apology video saying, "I express my deepest regret. I will not make any claims like that again without verifying."^[21]

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Director	Producer	Notes
2016	Pazhaya Vannarapettai	Yes	No
2020	Draupathi	Yes	Yes
2021	Rudra Thandavam	Yes	Yes
2022	Bakasuran	Yes	Yes