Filmmaker Manikandan
Credit: Wikimedia commons
Chennai: “Sir, please forgive us. Your hard work is yours,” read the handwritten note which was tied to the main gate of a house in Usilampatti in Madurai, where a group of thieves had decamped with valuables and Rs 1 lakh in cash a few days ago.
The ‘heart-felt’ note had a surprise element – the burglars had returned two medals that were won at the National Film Awards by director Manikandan, whose house they had struck last week. A photograph of the hand-written note and the medal inside a polythene bag has now gone viral on social media.
Manikandan, who had directed critically acclaimed movies like Kadaisi Vivasaayi (Last Farmer) and Kaaka Muttai, had last week filed a complaint with Usilampatti police about the burglary in his ancestral house when he was away in Chennai for work. About 15 sovereigns of gold, Rs 1 lakh in cash, and other valuables were found stolen from the house when a couple of Manikandan’s friends went to his house to feed his pet dog.
However, on Tuesday, the friends found the note and medals that Manikandan received for his 2021 film Kadaisi Vivasaayi and 2014-film Kaaka Muttai. A police officer said a case has been registered based on Manikandan’s complaint and efforts are on to nab the accused.
“The valuables are yet to be recovered. But it has come to our notice that the awards have been returned,” the officer added.
The incident led to a debate on social media with several users appreciating the alleged robbers for “respecting” the work of an artist. Manikandan, who is known for bringing real-life stories to the reel, didn’t react to the incident, though many on social media felt that the director would definitely turn the “noble act” into a story and bring it to the silver screen.