'Jai Bhim' row: Vanniyar Sangam sends legal notice to Suriya, demands ₹5 cr & apology

The controversy related to Tamil film Jai Bhim widened as the Vanniyar Sangam on Monday sent a legal notice to actor Suriya, film director TJ Gnanvel and Amazon Prime, asking them to issue an unconditional apology for defaming the people of the Vanniyar community. 

In the notice, the Vanniyar Sangam also demanded the filmmakers to remove the scene from the movie where they believed there was a wrong representation of their community, projecting them as wrongdoers. In the legal notice, the Sangam had also sought a Rs. 5 crore compensation within seven days. 

Vanniyar Sangam seeks unconditional apology for defamation of community 

On behalf of Arul Mozhi, the president of Vanniyar Sangam, K Balu, the spokesperson and lawyer of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), issued a notice where he claimed that there are scenes that show the Vanniyar community in poor light, in the recent Amazon Prime video release 'Jai Bhim', which Suriya starred and co-produced.

Jai Bhim is a film on people of the Irular tribe who were tortured in prison and how advocate Chandru, played by Suriya, battles and wins them justice. In the movie, they kept most of the characters' identities similar to the real ones, such as Rajakannu, advocate Chandru, and police officer Perumalsamy, but changed the name of the sub-inspector (SI) who tortured the victim in detention, according to the notice.

According to the lawyer, the symbol of Vanniyar Sangam,' Agni Gundam', was depicted in a calendar behind the Sub-Inspector in one of the scenes, to insult the Vanniyar community.

The film triggered a controversy as numerous members of the Vanniyar community argued that certain depictions in the story painted them in negative light. Suriya and the team of Jai Bhim were also summoned by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, the youth leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and a Member of Parliament, to answer his questions about the portrayal of the Vanniyar community in the film. 

Suriya sent a letter to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, which he uploaded on his social media account. The actor stated that he had no intention of hurting anyone's feelings or any community.

Dr Anbumani Ramadoss calls out Actor Suriya

Dr Anbumani Ramadoss called out Suriya for remaining silent regarding the movie's controversy. The rough translation of his statement to English read, "There are reports that the film titled 'Jai Bhim' starring himself in the lead and directed by TS Gnanavell has caused pain and unrest among the majority community of the Vanniyars in Tamil Nadu. Thousands of people and young people are telling me about the extent to which the Vanniyar community has been deliberately humiliated in the movie. Your unjust silence on the issue for over a week is what has forced me to write this letter. No matter who is involved when repression is unleashed on people it is not acceptable and we must all fight together against it."
 

Image: ANI/ Facebook