Film producer K Rajan jumps into Adyar river, dies by suicide

Chennai: Tamil film producer K Rajan died by suicide after jumping into the Adyar river on Sunday evening. Police said Rajan, 85, a resident of Old Washermenpet, had gone to Adyar along with his driver, Dhanasekar, at around 4.30pm.He reportedly asked the driver to park the vehicle near Thiru-Vi-Ka Bridge, saying he would go for a walk. He then walked onto the bridge and, after some time, jumped into the river below.Passersby alerted the driver, who informed the police control room. Adyar police went to the spot and began inquiries. Personnel from the fire and rescue services, including a team from the Saidapet fire station, retrieved the body by 5.15pm. It has been sent to Royapettah Govt Hospital for postmortem.The reason behind the extreme step was not immediately known. However, family members told police that he had been distressed over a family issue. Police are checking whether he has left behind any suicide note.Friends said Rajan was known for frequently highlighting the structural unprofitability of Tamil cinema. He often attributed it to budgets exceeding realistic box office returns, driven largely by high remuneration for lead actors and key crew. He was critical of the star-centric economic model, where actor salaries dominate production costs, often resulting in losses for producers.During a public speech in Dec 2019, he criticised actors over loss-making films. Rajan had launched his son, Prabhukanth, as an actor in 2000 with Aval Paavam.Friends described Rajan as outspoken, noting that his controversial views had often landed him in trouble.(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN's health helpline 104 and Sneha's suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).