Bharatiraja elected president of Directors Association

Ace director Bharatiraja was elected unopposed president of the South Indian Directors Association at an executive committee meeting on June 8. The meeting was held at the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

"The election was peaceful and I was elected unopposed after incumbent president S.A. Chandrasekhar and director K.S. Ravikumar proposed and seconded my nomination,"' Bharatiraja said.

The election, which was originally scheduled for May 11 had to be postponed without fixing a new date after threats of violence from a group of non-members. Election returning officer A. Mohan had announced the postponement after V. Shekar, a contestant for the post of treasurer, filed a police complaint alleging threats against a couple of directors. A splinter group of assistant directors, "Nalaya Iyakkunar Sangam'' had also threatened to hold parallel elections.

Trouble arose on May 10 night when a group of non-member assistant directors, led by N. Radhakrishnan and 'Baba', threatened supporters of outgoing president S.A. Chandrasekhar as well as contestants like R.C. Shakti, Ameer Jan, R.K. Selvamani and K. Bhagyaraj with dire consequences. The violence continued on Sunday also forcing the postponement of the election.

The Directors Association comes under the umbrella organization, Film Employees' Federation of South India (FEFSI) that rules the industry. Control over the Directors' Association, though it is the poorest body, has always been a bone of contention.