Actor-director Surya Jai Bhim Ta Se Gnanavel said on Sunday that he had absolutely no intention of harming any particular community and expressed his regrets to those who were offended. Jai Bhim, which was released on November 1 in languages such as Tamil and Telugu, has sparked an altercation in Tamil Nadu with Vanniyar Sangam and parishioners who claim he portrays them in a bad light. The film is published on Amazon Prime Video’s OTT platform.
Stressing that no small thought in the making of the film would offend anyone or the community, Gnanavel said: “I express my deep regret to those who have been insulted and abused.”
The director also regretted the trouble Surya experienced after an argument with the lead actor and producer Jai Bhim. At the heart of the dispute is the alleged slander of the Vanniyar community by referring to the evil police sub-inspector as “Gurumurthy” and the depiction of the angry symbol of the community pot on the calendar, in the background, in one of the scenes and in the foreground is the SI police torturing innocent people from the tribe until dead.
“I had no idea that a calendar hanging in the background would be understood as an indication of a community. It was not our intention to make it a symbol of reference for any particular community, but simply to reflect the 1995 period,” Gnanavel said in a statement.
During filming or post-production, calendar footage that appears for a few seconds goes unnoticed, he said. Additionally, the film can be seen by multiple people prior to its premiere on Amazon Prime. “If it is found during that time, we will change it before it goes on sale.”
After “familiarizing myself with the calendar in the background via social media” following publication, efforts were underway to change it the next morning, he said. “Since the calendar was changed in the background before anyone asked for it, I think everyone will understand that we have no ulterior motives,” said the director.
