The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has issued a show cause notice to leading Telugu production banner Sri Venkateswara Creations for using five elephants without obtaining the mandatory pre-shoot permission for 'Thalapathy' Vijay's upcoming Tamil film, Varisu. In a written communication dated November 23, AWBI secretary SK Dutta stated that using elephants without the approval of the board is a violation of the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001. The notice has been sent by the Board based on a private complaint. 

Dutta has also confirmed that the Board did not receive the pre-shooting application from Sri Venkateswara Creations for Vijay's Varisu to date. As per Rule 3(1) of the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, it is mandatory for every individual to register with the AWBI if animals are exhibited or trained. The notice also states the Varisu team should submit a full and comprehensive explanation in regard to the violations made by the film's production within 7 days of the receipt of the letter. Below is the show cause notice sent to the producers of Varisu:

Directed by Vamshi Paidipally and featuring music by Thaman, Vijay's Varisu is gearing up for a Pongal release in January 2023 and pre-release activities are in full swing already. Expectations for the film are huge and promotions kicked off a few days back after the makers released the first single titled 'Ranjithame', which also gave fans a glimpse of youth sensation Rashmika Mandanna dancing alongside Vijay. Varisu is billed to be a family entertainer along the lines of Vijay's Poove Unakkaga (1996) and Thulladha Manamum Thullum (1999) and also includes an ensemble supporting cast featuring the likes of Prabhu, Sarathkumar, Prakash Raj, Khushbu, Yogi Babu, Jayasudha, Sangeetha Krish, Shaam, Srikanth, Samyuktha Shanmughanathan, art director D. R. K. Kiran, with SJ Suryah also speculated to be making a special appearance.