Strange case of the missing producer: Post 'suicide note', S Madhan still can't be found

Four days after he is believed to have gone missing, there is still no news on the whereabouts of leading Kollywood producer and distributor S Madhan, of Vendhar Movies. A sensational “suicide note”, circulated over Whatsapp on Sunday morning, provides the only “clue” to where Madhan might be. In the five-page, handwritten tell-all, (under his company letterhead) Madhan said that he was seeking “Samadhi in Kasi”. [caption id=“attachment_2813004” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Vendhar Movies’ Madhan. Image from YouTube[/caption] Madhan’s is a typical rags-to-riches story, the kind that abounds in Kollywood. He started his career as a college admission agent or middleman, working with students to get them admissions into private education institutes under the SRM University umbrella. Madhan initially was very close to the SRM group’s chancellor, Dr Pachamuthu (who calls himself Paarivendhar) and also runs a little-known political party — Indiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK), an ally of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. At any event organised by Vendhar Movies, Paarivendhar would be present as the chief guest. In the last five years, Vendhar had produced three films — Thillu Mullu, Pulipaarvai, Paayum Puli — and distributed in certain Tamil Nadu territories, at least 25 Tamil films including biggies like Rajinikanth’s Lingaa and Ajith’s Aarambam. Madhan himself played hero as the late LTTE leader Prabhakaran in Pulipaarvai. The buzz was that Madhan — smitten with the glitz and glamour of Tamil cinema — waded into production and distribution, without understanding the trade. He also had borrowed huge sums from financiers, who lent him money thinking that he was being backed by SRM and Pachamuthu. Sources close to the SRM management have stated that there are no direct links between Vendhar Movies and the SRM group. There is also an opinion that the whole “samadhi in Kasi” “suicide” letter was merely released to gain public sympathy. As per sources in the know, there are many cheating cases against Madhan, regarding college admissions, and with him losing heavily in film business, the best course of action was to “disappear”. In the eyes of the law, he is absconding. An aspiring medical student’s father filed a complaint with Chennai city police that Madhan is yet to return the Rs 52 lakhs he took, with the promise of securing a college seat. Madhan’s personal life too is curious, with reports claiming that he has more than one wife. His wives Sindhu and Sumalatha wre the ones who told the police that he was missing; however, they also asserted his innocence with regard to cheating students under the guise of securing admissions. It is Sindhu and Sumalatha’s contention that Madhan’s closeness to Pachamuthu had made some people jealous, and it was this group that was possibly behind his disappearance. Some of Madhan’s friends, including producer T Siva, travelled to Varanasi and lauched a search for him, but could not trace him. Meanwhile SRM group chancellor TR Pachamuthu has filed a complaint with the police saying that he has no connection with Madhan or Vendhar Movies. He also said in his complaint that Madhan had swindled a huge amount of money using his and the SRM group’s names. Pachamuthu said the group would cooperate in the legal proceedings against Madhan. One thing is certain: Madhan’s disappearance has left a lot of film financiers in Chennai red-faced. The police and a lot of other people are trying down to track the missing producer, believed by Kollywood to be privy to many secrets — and to have stashed away many crores.