Director clears the air over Jai Bhim row

Director Tha Se Gnanavel has said that there was absolutely no intention of hurting any particular community in the film Jai Bhim and expressed regret to those who were offended.

The film, which was released on Nov 1 in languages including Tamil and Telugu, stirred a row in Tamil Nadu last week with the Vanniyar Sangam and members of the community alleging that it had portrayed them in bad light.

The legal drama, which is based on the true story of an activist lawyer fighting for a tribal woman whose husband was wrongly arrested and killed in police custody in 1993, was released on OTT platform Amazon Prime Video.

Emphasising that there was not even a "wee little bit of thought to cause affront to any individual or a community" in the making of the film, Gnanavel said: "I convey my heartfelt regret to those offended and anguished."

The director also expressed regret for the difficulty caused to Suriya, the lead actor and producer, in the wake of the controversy.

The row centres on a negative character, police sub-inspector (SI), being named as Guru (Gurumurthy), an alleged reference to a former MLA and prominent leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a Vanniyar political party, and showing the raging fire pot symbol of the community in a calendar in one of the scenes.

"I did not know that a calendar hung in the background will be understood as a reference to a community. It is not our intention to make it a symbol of reference to a particular community and it was only to reflect the period, the year 1995," Gnanavel said.

During filming or post-production, the calendar footage, that appears for a few seconds, did not catch the crew's attention, he said.

Also, even before the film premiered on Amazon Prime, it was exhibited before several people. "Had it come to our notice during that time, we would have changed it before its release," said Gnanavel.

After they "got to know about the calendar in the background through social media," after the film's release, all efforts were made to change it on the following morning itself, he said.

"As the calendar in the background was changed (with a photo of a goddess) even before anyone demanded it, I believe that everyone will understand that we had no ulterior motive," the director said. "It is unfortunate to ask Suriya to own up. As the director, this is a matter I alone have to take responsibility."

The film, though based on a true incident, has elements of fiction.

The names of people connected to the real incident, like that of Justice Chandru who had argued the case in the Madras High Court as an advocate, have been retained. But some names were changed, like that of the SI from Anthonysamy to Guru.

The Vanniyar Sangam on Nov 15 sent a legal notice to the makers of Jai Bhim alleging that the film tarnished the reputation of the Vanniyar community and sought an unconditional apology from them. It demanded the removal of references to the community's revered symbol of a raging fire pot and Rs5 crore ($920,000) in damages.

Members of the PMK also stormed a theatre in Mayiladuthurai and stopped the film from being screened.

A party district secretary even offered Rs100,000 to anyone who physically attacks Suriya.

On Tuesday, the Vanniyar Sangam, represented by its president Pu Tha Arulmozhi, filed a case against the producers, Surya and his actress-wife Jyothika, production house 2D Entertainment, Gnanavel and Amazon before the Judicial Magistrate in Chidambaram.

It sought action against them for defamation and promoting enmity between two groups.

The police have opened a probe into the politician's threat against Suriya and his house in Chennai is now guarded by five armed officers.

The actor has received support from the Tamil film community and his fans, who have taken to Twitter with messages with the hashtag #WeStandWithSuriya.

"Dear all, this love for #Jaibhim is overwhelming. I've never witnessed this before! Can't express in words how thankful I am for the trust & reassurance you all have given us. Heartfelt thanks for standing by us," Suriya tweeted.

National Award-winning Tamil director Vetrimaaran also backed Suriya and criticised the opponents of the film for not wanting to see a change in the status quo.

He wrote: "The commitment of director T.J. Gnanavel to make this film to let the world know the plight of the victims and Suriya's constant efforts towards social justice, on and off screen, is truly inspiring.

"It's only natural these films cause angst among those who don't want the status quo to change. Films that question the inequalities and injustices of a society too are weapons towards social justice."

Jai Bhim, which was briefly the highest-ranked film on movie database IMDb beating Hollywood classics such as The Godfather and The Shawshank Redemption, also found support from Tamil Nadu's ruling party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin praising Suriya.

Mr Stalin said: "Great art should make an impact on the audience and bring about a positive change in society. I watched my friend Suriya's Jai Bhim... it has had a huge impact on me."

Indo-Asian News Service, AFP

"I convey my heartfelt regret to those offended and anguished. "

- Tha Se Gnanavel (above)

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