Suriya’s Jai Bhim has been in court for allegedly portraying the Vanniyar group negatively despite receiving high praise from viewers and critics. The Vanniyar Sangam accused Suriya, Jyotika, and director TJ Gnanavel of depicting the Vanniyar people negatively in the movie and launched a lawsuit against them last year. The matter was heard in court on July 18 and it was decided that Suriya and the crew wouldn’t face any severe punishment before the next hearing.
After hearing the case, Justice Satishkumar postponed hearing Suriya and Gnanavel’s plea on the Jai Bhim case. On July 21, the case is reportedly going to be dismissed. Suriya, Jyotika, and Gnanavel will not face any severe punishment up to that point. The Tamil Naidu court has now instructed the police to launch a complaint against Suriya, Jyothika, and filmmaker TJ Gnanavel for portraying the community in a negative manner after months of release and praise. They asked for the removal of the offensive scenes and Rs. 5 crores in damages in their plea.
Unraised’s primary point of contention is from a scenario in which a calendar bearing the “Agni Gundam” (raging fire) insignia is displayed. The symbol reportedly represents the Vanniyar community and the political organizations associated with the community. Director Gnanavel also issued an apology regarding the same. Additionally, director Gnanavel apologized in this regard. Many people in the business banded together to support Suriya as well.
Suriya indeed faced numerous threats at the time of his release and was given police protection for a few days. The lone Tamil film among the 276 eligible for the Best Picture category of the 94th Academy Awards was Jai Bhim. In the movie Jai Bhim, Sengani (played by Suriya, based on Parvathi) and lawyer Chandru fight for justice after Sengani’s husband Rajakannu, a member of the Irular tribe, is falsely accused by the police. Rajakannu passed away in 1993 as a result of the case’s police abuse.
