Chennai, Sept. 19 -- Chandra Chaitanya, the titular 42nd Raja of the Ettayapuram Samasthanam, has launched a passionate campaign to correct what he calls a "deeply painful historical inaccuracy" surrounding his ancestral name, Ettapan.

For decades, the term has carried a negative connotation--largely due to its portrayal in the iconic Tamil film Veerapandiya Kattabomman, where the character of Ettapan was depicted as a traitor who betrayed Kattabomman to the British. Raja Chandra Chaitanya insists this portrayal is far from the truth and has unfairly maligned the Ettayapuram royal family and its people.

"This slur has wounded our sentiments for generations," the Raja said. "If it were historically accurate, we could accept it as part of...