'jai bhim' controversy: why are vanniyars offended by actor suriya's film?

_Jai Bhim _has been considered by film critics as one of the most important socio-political Tamil movies to have come out in 2021, that unveiled the systemic injustices and cruelties that

the communities marginalised by caste are subjected to in Tamil Nadu. The plot is based on a real life incident from 1993 and the legal battle that followed after. In _Jai Bhim_, Rajakannu

from the Irular tribe is wrongly accused of theft, arrested and beaten brutally, he finally dies in police custody. The police tries to cover up the truth which sets off his wife, Sengeni,

on a quest for justice, with the aid of advocate Chandru. The film delves into the appalling treatment of people from the community, who are often framed by the police, subjected to torture

and do not have even basic government documentations. While _Jai Bhim_ was appreciated widely, it has been mired in controversy. Actor Suriya Sivakumar was provided with police protection on

16 November, at his residence in Chennai's T Nagar following intel reports of threats. Here is all that has happened since the release of the film: 'JAI BHIM' CONTROVERSY:

WHY ARE VANNIYARS OFFENDED BY ACTOR SURIYA'S FILM? * 1. THE FILM OVERTAKES ‘THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION’ & ‘THE GODFATHER’ IN IMDB RATING Tamil actor Suriya’s film _Jai Bhim_ was

released on 2 November on Amazon Prime Video in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The actor donned a never-seen-before role in the powerful courtroom drama. Currently, _Jai Bhim_’s IMDb rating is 9.6

with 73k votes and 'The Shawshank Redemption’s' rating is 9.3 with 2.5 million votes. The title of the film translates to, ‘Long Live Bhim’, a slogan popularised by followers of

Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. BR Ambedkar was the chief architect of India’s constitution and also the country’s first law minister. The film is directed by TJ Gnanavel and produced by actor

Suriya. Since it was released on the online platform, there’s no box-office collection for the same. With ratings from the audience and critics, the film has been propelled to the number one

slot online. Expand * 2. THE SLAP SCENE THAT TRIGGERED THE ANTI-HINDI DEBATE The first controversy that erupted was around the scene where actor Prakash Raj's character, a cop, slaps a

man for 'speaking in Hindi'. Raj asks the person to speak in Tamil. A section of people on social media criticised the scene for propagating an ‘anti-Hindi’ agenda. > Dear 

Prakash Rai alias Prakash Raj, which article of the > constitution provides rights to hit any individual just because he's > not speaking Hindi or any Indian language? > If 

that's so, how many Kannadigas should hit u for speaking in > Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu in other movies? > pic.twitter.com/y0GQrnX1Tf > — Chiru Bhat | à²šà²¿à²°à³ 

ಭಟ್ > (@mechirubhat) November 2, 2021 However, another section of Twitter users said that Prakash Raj's character slapped the person who was speaking in Hindi despite knowing

Tamil because the latter was sidestepping difficult questions by speaking in Hindi. Prakash Raj, on 7 November, responded to the controversy and said that the outrage ‘exposes the agenda’ of

those criticising it. Speaking to _News9, _he said, “After watching a film like Jai Bhim, they did not see the agony of the tribal people, they did not see and feel terrible about the

injustice, but they only saw the slap. That is all they understood. This exposes their agenda.” Expand * 3. 'JAI BHIM' CONCEPTUALISES VANNIYARS INAPPROPRIATELY: PMK Despite being

widely celebrated, the makers of the film were slammed for hurting the sentiments of the Vanniyars who form a dominant caste segment in Tamil Nadu. On 10 November, PMK chief Dr Ambumani

Ramadoss wrote a letter posing a series of questions about _Jai Bhim._ Ramadoss said in a statement that in a scene in the film, an '_Agni Kundam_' (a pot of fire), a symbol of

Vanniyars, was seen printed on a calendar in the residence of the policeman, who tortures Rajakannu. The PMK leader also added that _Jai Bhim_ had retained original names for most characters

but the name of the sub-inspector, who had beaten the man from the Irular community to death, was changed to Gurumoorthy, reminding people of late PMK leader J Guru. The officer in the real

case was called Anthonysamy. Ramadoss alleged that many films are being made to insult the Vanniyar community and that this is not freedom of expression but hatred towards one particular

community. Anbumani said, "Regardless of who is involved, when repression is unleashed on people it is not acceptable and we all will fight together against it." Expand * 4. NO

INTENTION TO SEEK PUBLICITY BY INSULTING ANYONE: SURIYA Exactly a day after Anbumani's letter, Suriya gave a scathing reply to the PMK leader in which he affirmed that neither he nor

his film unit had any intention of insulting any individual or community. "The core concept of _Jai Bhim_ is how, in a case argued by the retired Justice Chandru, a legal struggle was

waged against the authorities to help establish justice. We have also attempted to talk about the problems that indigenous people face in their everyday lives," he said in a statement.

> "Neither my team, nor I have ever harboured any intention at any > point in time to insult any individual or community as mentioned by > you in your letter. I hope you are 

aware that corrections were > carried out as soon as some people pointed out mistakes." Actor Suriya He explained that a film wasn't a documentary and agreed with Dr

Ramadoss's statement that the right to insult any community had not been given to anyone under the garb of creative freedom. "In the same spirit, I believe you too will accept that

creative freedom must be protected from threats," the statement read. "When people who are not interested in the welfare of the poor gain authority, they tend to behave in exactly

the same manner, irrespective of their caste, religion, language or region. Through this film, we have raised questions against authority. I request you to not confine it to politics over

names," Suriya said. The actor added that he didn't need to insult anybody for the sake of publicity. Expand * 5. PMK CADRE BARGE INTO TN THEATRE, STOP SCREENING OF SURIYA FILM The

stand-off between the political outfit and actor Suriya escalated on 14 November, when a group of PMK cadres barged into a theatre in Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu and forcibly

stopped the screening of _Jai Bhim_. The district secretary Panneerselvam had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who will attack Suriya when he visits the district. The next day, on

15 November, the Vanniyar Sangam state president issued a legal notice to actor Suriya and TJ Gnanavel, demanding that the makers of the film tender an unconditional apology and remove

scenes which they dubbed defamatory. The legal notice also asked those behind the film to “cease and desist from making or publishing any false, malicious and defamatory remarks against (the

Vanniyar) community and its people.” They also demanded Rs 5 crore as compensation for "denigrating the community". The Tamil Nadu police on 17 November booked Pannerselvam under

five sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This includes non-bailable sections. Expand * 6. #WESTANDWITHSURIYA TRENDS ON TWITTER Meanwhile, support has been pouring in for Suriya and the

makers of _Jai Bhim_. Director Vetri Maaran of _Asuran_ and _Vada Chennai_ fame tweeted, "It's only natural these films cause angst amongst those who don't want the status quo

to change. #WeStandWithSuriya." The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce on 15 November asked the PMK leader to refrain from criticising Suriya over his film _Jai Bhim_. In a letter

to Ramadoss, Chamber's president, Katragadda Prasad, pointed out that Suriya had acceded to his request for removal of a symbol from the film. Actor Siddharth tweeted, "We stood

with Kamal Haasan. We stood with Vijay. We stand with Suriya. "We" represents anyone who believes it is cowardice to threaten an artist or the exhibition of an artistic creation

over differences of opinion or personal animosity." I stand with the makers of #JaiBhim". Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder Thol Thirumavalavan appreciated the film.

Suriya responded that he was happy that the VCK was continuously fighting for tribals, who are a minority in Tamil Nadu. “As you have said, we are happy that Chief Minister MK Stalin has

taken immediate action on the long-term problems faced by tribals. The reason for making _Jai Bhim _is to shed light on their problems and bringing them under the spotlight is possible only

through art. Only government and political movements can create actual social change,” he said. Actor Suriya on Sunday issued a statement that he has deposited Rs 10 lakh to the wife of

Rajakannu. The actor tweeted on 17 November thanking his fans for their "overwhelming" support. "Dear all, this love for _Jai Bhim _is overwhelming. I've never witnessed

this before! Can't express in words how thankful I am for the trust and reassurance you all have given us. Heartfelt thanks for standing by us," he wrote. Expand THE FILM OVERTAKES

‘THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION’ & ‘THE GODFATHER’ IN IMDB RATING Tamil actor Suriya’s film _Jai Bhim_ was released on 2 November on Amazon Prime Video in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The actor

donned a never-seen-before role in the powerful courtroom drama. Currently, _Jai Bhim_’s IMDb rating is 9.6 with 73k votes and 'The Shawshank Redemption’s' rating is 9.3 with 2.5

million votes. The title of the film translates to, ‘Long Live Bhim’, a slogan popularised by followers of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. BR Ambedkar was the chief architect of India’s

constitution and also the country’s first law minister. The film is directed by TJ Gnanavel and produced by actor Suriya. Since it was released on the online platform, there’s no box-office

collection for the same. With ratings from the audience and critics, the film has been propelled to the number one slot online. THE SLAP SCENE THAT TRIGGERED THE ANTI-HINDI DEBATE The first

controversy that erupted was around the scene where actor Prakash Raj's character, a cop, slaps a man for 'speaking in Hindi'. Raj asks the person to speak in Tamil. A section

of people on social media criticised the scene for propagating an ‘anti-Hindi’ agenda. > Dear Prakash Rai alias Prakash Raj, which article of the > constitution provides rights to hit

 any individual just because he's > not speaking Hindi or any Indian language? > If that's so, how many Kannadigas should hit u for speaking in > Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, 

Telugu in other movies? > pic.twitter.com/y0GQrnX1Tf > — Chiru Bhat | à²šà²¿à²°à³ à²­à²Ÿà³ > (@mechirubhat) November 2, 2021 However, another section of Twitter users said that

Prakash Raj's character slapped the person who was speaking in Hindi despite knowing Tamil because the latter was sidestepping difficult questions by speaking in Hindi. Prakash Raj, on

7 November, responded to the controversy and said that the outrage ‘exposes the agenda’ of those criticising it. Speaking to _News9, _he said, “After watching a film like Jai Bhim, they did

not see the agony of the tribal people, they did not see and feel terrible about the injustice, but they only saw the slap. That is all they understood. This exposes their agenda.” 'JAI

BHIM' CONCEPTUALISES VANNIYARS INAPPROPRIATELY: PMK Despite being widely celebrated, the makers of the film were slammed for hurting the sentiments of the Vanniyars who form a dominant

caste segment in Tamil Nadu. On 10 November, PMK chief Dr Ambumani Ramadoss wrote a letter posing a series of questions about _Jai Bhim._ Ramadoss said in a statement that in a scene in the

film, an '_Agni Kundam_' (a pot of fire), a symbol of Vanniyars, was seen printed on a calendar in the residence of the policeman, who tortures Rajakannu. The PMK leader also

added that _Jai Bhim_ had retained original names for most characters but the name of the sub-inspector, who had beaten the man from the Irular community to death, was changed to

Gurumoorthy, reminding people of late PMK leader J Guru. The officer in the real case was called Anthonysamy. Ramadoss alleged that many films are being made to insult the Vanniyar community

and that this is not freedom of expression but hatred towards one particular community. Anbumani said, "Regardless of who is involved, when repression is unleashed on people it is not

acceptable and we all will fight together against it." NO INTENTION TO SEEK PUBLICITY BY INSULTING ANYONE: SURIYA Exactly a day after Anbumani's letter, Suriya gave a scathing

reply to the PMK leader in which he affirmed that neither he nor his film unit had any intention of insulting any individual or community. "The core concept of _Jai Bhim_ is how, in a

case argued by the retired Justice Chandru, a legal struggle was waged against the authorities to help establish justice. We have also attempted to talk about the problems that indigenous

people face in their everyday lives," he said in a statement. > "Neither my team, nor I have ever harboured any intention at any > point in time to insult any individual or 

community as mentioned by > you in your letter. I hope you are aware that corrections were > carried out as soon as some people pointed out mistakes." Actor Suriya He explained

that a film wasn't a documentary and agreed with Dr Ramadoss's statement that the right to insult any community had not been given to anyone under the garb of creative freedom.

"In the same spirit, I believe you too will accept that creative freedom must be protected from threats," the statement read. "When people who are not interested in the

welfare of the poor gain authority, they tend to behave in exactly the same manner, irrespective of their caste, religion, language or region. Through this film, we have raised questions

against authority. I request you to not confine it to politics over names," Suriya said. The actor added that he didn't need to insult anybody for the sake of publicity. PMK CADRE

BARGE INTO TN THEATRE, STOP SCREENING OF SURIYA FILM The stand-off between the political outfit and actor Suriya escalated on 14 November, when a group of PMK cadres barged into a theatre in

Mayiladuthurai district in Tamil Nadu and forcibly stopped the screening of _Jai Bhim_. The district secretary Panneerselvam had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who will attack

Suriya when he visits the district. The next day, on 15 November, the Vanniyar Sangam state president issued a legal notice to actor Suriya and TJ Gnanavel, demanding that the makers of the

film tender an unconditional apology and remove scenes which they dubbed defamatory. The legal notice also asked those behind the film to “cease and desist from making or publishing any

false, malicious and defamatory remarks against (the Vanniyar) community and its people.” They also demanded Rs 5 crore as compensation for "denigrating the community". The Tamil

Nadu police on 17 November booked Pannerselvam under five sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This includes non-bailable sections. #WESTANDWITHSURIYA TRENDS ON TWITTER Meanwhile,

support has been pouring in for Suriya and the makers of _Jai Bhim_. Director Vetri Maaran of _Asuran_ and _Vada Chennai_ fame tweeted, "It's only natural these films cause angst

amongst those who don't want the status quo to change. #WeStandWithSuriya." The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce on 15 November asked the PMK leader to refrain from

criticising Suriya over his film _Jai Bhim_. In a letter to Ramadoss, Chamber's president, Katragadda Prasad, pointed out that Suriya had acceded to his request for removal of a symbol

from the film. Actor Siddharth tweeted, "We stood with Kamal Haasan. We stood with Vijay. We stand with Suriya. "We" represents anyone who believes it is cowardice to threaten

an artist or the exhibition of an artistic creation over differences of opinion or personal animosity." I stand with the makers of #JaiBhim". Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)

founder Thol Thirumavalavan appreciated the film. Suriya responded that he was happy that the VCK was continuously fighting for tribals, who are a minority in Tamil Nadu. “As you have said,

we are happy that Chief Minister MK Stalin has taken immediate action on the long-term problems faced by tribals. The reason for making _Jai Bhim _is to shed light on their problems and

bringing them under the spotlight is possible only through art. Only government and political movements can create actual social change,” he said. Actor Suriya on Sunday issued a statement

that he has deposited Rs 10 lakh to the wife of Rajakannu. The actor tweeted on 17 November thanking his fans for their "overwhelming" support. "Dear all, this love for _Jai

Bhim _is overwhelming. I've never witnessed this before! Can't express in words how thankful I am for the trust and reassurance you all have given us. Heartfelt thanks for standing

by us," he wrote. Published: 17 Nov 2021, 5:03 PM IST