Director Gopi Nainar has been known for directing the 2017 hit Aramm, starring Lady Superstar Nayanthara, and the movie was a successful venture. He had earlier faced struggles in the industry with plagiarism accusations he had made against movies like Kaththi and Madras.

After Aramm, the director was reportedly working on a movie starring Jai and Aishwarya Rajesh, and later it was said that the director has started a new movie with Bobby Simha. While no official announcement on these movies are available, now the director has turned against Yogi Babu's Mandela.

Mandela directed by debutant Madonne Ashwin and starring Yogi Babu in lead role was launched recently, and Gopi Nainar has claimed that he had registered the title before an year for a movie starring Jayam Ravi, and though he has time to renew the title, the guild is not allowing him to renew and are pressuring him to make a movie soon, or else give the title to Yogi Babu movie. Gopi Nainar added that he was hurt with the way the name Mandela was used along with a shaving razor in a funny way.