I Publicly Apologised For 'Club Le Mabbu Le': HipHop Tamizha Adhi

HipHop Tamizha Adhi, who is gearing up for the release of his film Veeran, is known for donning different hats. While he established himself in the industry with the independent single titled ‘Club Le Mabbu Le’, he went on to compose music for films and later forayed into acting, directing and producing as well. 

Adhi performed ‘Club Le Mabbu Le’ on Ma Ka Pa Anand’s radio show back in 2011 which led to his big break. But the rap song that focuses on the changing culture takes a dig at women who consume alcohol and go to clubs. While the music instantly trended among the youth, the single didn’t age well and Adhi faced flak for its negative portrayal of women.

It didn't take a long time for Adhi to understand the misogyny in his song.  “Within one year of the song’s release, I realised it was offensive. But I didn’t want to hide the song and pretend like it was never produced.” Instead, he wanted to correct it. In a scene in Sivakumarin Sabadham (2015), which he directed and produced, his character says, “Naa oor la irundhu vandhapo, idhelaam paathu shock aagi, ‘Club le Mabbu le’ nu kasa kasa nu pesiten. Apron thaan yosichen; Aduthavan polappu namakedhuku. Avanavanoda ishtam, avan enamo pannitu poraan. Avano, Avalo, elaam ondruthaane” (When I came to Chennai first, even I was shocked by the change in culture and disgracefully spoke ‘Club le Mabbu le’ and all. But then I realised that it doesn’t matter how other people live. Everyone can lead their lives as they wish. Be it a man or a woman, everyone is the same, right?)

This scene sticks out like a sore thumb in the film. But it is one of the ways by which Adhi tried to mend his mistake. He says, "We all evolve as people. I was this youngster who moved from Coimbatore to Chennai, and I was in cultural shock. I believed and wrote ‘Club Le Mabbu Le’. But as years passed, I reached a certain point where I realised it was wrong. I accept I did that, I corrected it, and I am a better person now."

Speaking about why he included the apology as a dialogue in his film, Adhi asserts that accepting or owning his mistake wasn’t enough. He believes that art reaches a vast audience, and hence he had to reinforce his apology through another art form. He adds, “Whoever has followed ‘Club Le Mabbu Le’ would have followed my films too. And that’s why I publicly apologised through Sivakumarin Sabatham, though the scene was deviating from the core idea of the film.”