No intention to hurt any community: 'Jai Bhim' director over controversy

'Jai Bhim' was released on the OTT platform Amazon-Prime Video on November 1. The movie kicked up a row in Tamil Nadu with the Vanniyar Sangam and members of the community alleging that it had portrayed them in a bad light.

Chennai: In view of the controversy surrounding the newly released 'Jai Bhim', the movie's director T.J.Gnanavel issued a statement on Sunday saying that the film nor his intentions were against the Vanniyar community.

'Jai Bhim' was released on the OTT platform Amazon-Prime Video on November 1. The movie kicked up a row in Tamil Nadu with the Vanniyar Sangam and members of the community alleging that it had portrayed them in a bad light.

In addition, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) also claimed that the negative character in the movie was named after the late PMK leader "Kaaduvetti Guru" to defame the party. They said that the movie was a deliberate attempt to defame the Vaniyar community.

The crux of the row is the alleged vilification of the Vanniyar community by naming a police sub-inspector, who is a negative character in the movie, as 'Guru' (Gurumurthy) and showcasing the raging fire pot symbol of the community in a calendar, in the background.

Expressing his "heartfelt regret to those offended," Gnanavel said, "Jai Bhim is well received in all segments. Likewise, some of the negative comments that arose for this film were not at all unexpected. The purpose of the calendar is to reflect the year, 1995, and it is not the intention of any of us to show it as a symbol of a particular community."

Talking about the controversy surrounding actor Surya, Gnanavel said that as a director he is solely responsible for the film.

"It is unfortunate that Suriya is being asked to take responsibility for something that I alone am responsible for as a director. As a producer and actor, Suriya in the film aimed only to bring the plight of the tribal people to everyone," the statement read.

The film, though based on a true incident of custodial torture and death of a 'Koravar' tribal man in 1995 in Tamil Nadu, has elements of fiction.

While Gnanavel thanked Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin for taking concrete steps to meet the long-standing demands of the tribal people, he expressed regret over the controversies.

"I would like to register my regret for the inconvenience Suriya faced on my behalf. I firmly believe that film is the art form of reconciliation between all communities. I would like to reiterate that there is no intention of insulting any individual or any particular community in the making of this film," he further said.

(With agency inputs)