Blue Sattai Maran

Some Lesser Known Facts About Blue Sattai Maran

• Blue Sattai Maran is an Indian film director, film critic, and social commentator. He is popular for his unique style of film reviews in Tamil cinema. He is also known for donning a signature blue shirt throughout his film review sessions.

• He grew up in Pudupettai, Chennai, where he studied up to class 8.

• After he was thrown out of his school, his father presented him with two options: either enrol in a different school or join his uncles in the film distribution business based in Madurai. Due to his profound love for films since childhood, he opted to join his uncles.

• In 1976, at the tender age of 7, Maran embarked on a cinematic adventure by watching the 1957 film “Manaalane Mangaiyin Baakkiyam.” During an interview, he shared how he was captivated by the image of a snake on the movie’s poster and the allure of the magical elements within. He also expressed that the film took him on a whirlwind journey of emotions.

• Blue Sattai Maran stepped into the Tamil film domain at the age of 15, engaging with his uncles’ film distribution enterprise.

• Before long, Sattai and his three siblings embarked on their own journey into the film distribution realm, establishing their own company. Yet, they couldn’t sustain their presence within the industry.

• Subsequently, Maran attempted his hand at several business ventures, all of which met with failure.

• Later, he got involved in the production team of various Tamil films such as “Vel” (2007), “Seval” (2008), and “Lingaa” (2014). Additionally, he joined Ram Babu Productions, contributing to the team’s efforts across 23 Kannada films.

• He also briefly served as an assistant to a well-known Tamil star’s personal manager. During his tenure as an assistant to the personal manager, he keenly observed the financial influences behind press releases concerning films or actors. Reflecting on the experience during an interview, he remarked,
  

  The manager gave me two envelopes and some money to give to two Tamil newspapers. They were press releases. They read: ‘After the ‘super hit’ (movie name), the ‘actor’ will next be seen in ‘upcoming movie’. I just couldn’t take it! I turned to the manager and asked if he has a heart and how he can call this movie a super hit. For that, he told me not to worry and that the papers will change it.”

  Additionally, he emphasized that not a solitary word underwent editing in the press releases. He went on to add,

  I was furious. It was such a bad film and these papers were doing this!”

• During his tenure as a personal manager’s assistant, he received an intriguing proposal from two family friends to establish a YouTube channel focused on cinema. It was during this period that the concept of providing candid film reviews sparked within his mind. The two friends, both software professionals, took charge of technical aspects such as the green screen. Maran also enlisted the help of his friend Adhavan to direct the show, with the main challenge being finding a suitable host for the reviews. Despite reaching out to over 50 potential hosts, none of them expressed interest in the venture. Since they had already leased a small office in Vadapalani and paid rent for four months from their own pockets, Maran made the decision to take on the hosting role himself.

• On 27 January 2012, he launched a YouTube channel called “Tamil Talkies,” dedicated to showcasing his film reviews. The channel boasts an impressive subscriber count of 1.63 million.

  

• In 2021, Blue Sattai Maran worked as a director and actor for the Tamil-language political satire movie titled “Anti Indian.” In the film, he portrayed the character Basha, a painter, and was also involved as a writer. The film achieved moderate success at the box office.

  

• In an interview, Blue Sattai Maran disclosed that he initially grappled with nervousness when confronted with the camera, often experiencing speech impediments while conducting reviews. He expressed,
  

  I couldn’t even say ‘Welcome to Tamiltalkies.net. But I managed to do something.”

• In his initial analysis, Maran explored a film starring Ajith, widely acclaimed for his fervent fan base. He contrasted the actor’s work in “Billa 2” with “Naan E,” a movie released concurrently.

• In 2019, his assessment of the Tamil film “Petta” was taken down due to allegations of copyright violations. Regardless, Maran maintained that this removal was strategically executed before the weekend to prevent any potential influence on ticket sales.

• Maran acquired the nickname ‘Blue Sattai’ due to his consistent choice of wearing the same shirt in every video appearance. In an interview, when disclosing the rationale behind this wardrobe choice, Maran mentioned,
  

  When we decided to do it, I knew I had to do reviews every week. So this meant 52 shirts in a year. It was too expensive, and plus I’m not worth all that effort. So we made it a uniform. Now seven years later, I wear the same Derbin shirt every week. I have only one of it. It was Rs.1500 when I bought it.”