'Jai Bhim' director expresses regret, says didn’t intend to hurt anyone

The calendar, which appears for just a few seconds in the film, did not catch the attention of any of the film's unit, either during filming, nor during post-production, Gnanavel said

Seeking to put an end to the controversy on “deliberately hurting the sentiments of Vanniyars”, the director of Tamil blockbuster Jai Bhim on Sunday clarified he has no intention to project anyone in a bad light but expressed regret if any scene in the movie had hurt someone.

In a two-page statement, Jai Bhim director T J Gnanavel said he takes responsibility for featuring a calendar with Agni Kundam (raging flame from a holy pot) in one of the scenes. The director said members of the team did not notice the presence of the calendar in the movie either during post-production or during the special screening for VVIPs.

“The issue was brought to our notice on November 2, a day after the movie was released on Amazon Prime. Immediately, I took steps to replace the Agni Kundam on the calendar with another picture,” Gnanavel said.

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His statement came in response to criticism from PMK and its parent body, Vanniyar Sangam, which said the depiction of Agni Kundam and changing the name of the policeman from Anthonysamy to Guru (a senior leader of the PMK) in the movie were part of attempts to “tarnish and damage” the reputation of Vanniyars, a dominant community in northern Tamil Nadu.

Vanniyar Sangam also issued a notice to actor Suriya, his wife and producer Jyotika, Gnanavel and Amazon Prime Video which released the movie, which also sought damages of Rs 5 crore.

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Jai Bhim based on the real-life story of Parvati’s struggle to get justice for her husband Rajakannu’s custodial death has received all-round praise. However, the legal notice sent by Vanniyar Sangam through PMK lawyer K Baalu had accused the filmmakers of deliberately changing the name of only one character in the movie and using Agni Kundam (raging flame from a holy pot) with “malafide intention” of defaming Vanniyars.

The issue also prompted PMK leader and former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to write a strongly worded letter to Suriya, who responded in his own style. With no end in sight to the conversation, Gnanavel said he had no intention to hurt the sentiments of any individual or community.

“If it (the film) has hurt the sentiments of anyone, I express regret,” Gnanavel said in his statement.

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