The Family Man 2 ban row: Five other films with Sri Lankan connect that were banned in Tamil Nadu
Amid calls to ban the second season of The Family Man, here's a list of films that were banned in Tamil Nadu for their connection with the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils.
The second season of The Family Man, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, has mostly opened to positive response from viewers. However, a section of the audience has expressed their displeasure over the show for slandering Tamil and portraying members of the LTTE (Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam) and their fight for freedom in poor light. Actor-politician Seeman recently took to Twitter demanding legal action against the show. In his statement, he has requested the Tamil Nadu government to intervene and ban the show. With a call on ban on The Family Man 2, here’s taking a look at five others films with a whiff of Sri Lankan connection that were banned from release in Tamil Nadu.
Madras Café
Shoojit Sircar’s political espionage thriller Madras Café, starring John Abraham in the lead, faced stiff opposition from pro Tamil parties in Tamil Nadu around its release. Set in the late 1980s, the film was about the Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war and the assassination of then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Despite being cleared by Central Board of Film Certification, the film was not allowed to be released in Tamil Nadu as those who opposed its release pointed out that the film demeaned the struggle of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Inam
Santosh Sivan directed Tamil war drama Inam, about a group of orphans during Sri Lankan civil war, was one of the films that was forced to be pulled out of theatres in Tamil Nadu upon its release. Tamil fringe groups sought a ban on the film as it was about the struggles of Tamil rebels during the Sri Lankan civil war and focused on a group of refugees. The film had a three day theatrical run in Tamil Nadu before it was withdrawn from theatres following protests from the fringe groups. Filmmaker Lingusamy, who distributed the film in Tamil Nadu, had said in a statement: “My love for Tamils has been questioned by some groups. I distributed Inam as a cinema lover and not to hurt the sentiments of my Tamil brothers and make profits.”
Kuttrapathirikai
RK Selvamani’s Kuttrapathirikai, set against the Sri Lankan civil war and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, was originally made in 1991. For 15 years, the film was denied a certification from Central Board of Film Certification for having strong political overtones. The film, in a landmark judgement by the Madras High Court, was finally allowed to be released in 2007 with several cuts and with an A certificate.
With You, Without You
Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage’s film With You Without You explored the relationship between a young couple, set against the backdrop Sri Lankan civil war. The movie was pulled out from theatres a day after its release after two Chennai multiplexes received threat calls from Tamil fringe groups.
Pulipaarvai
Pravin Gandhi’s Tamil film Pulipaarvai, which was based on the life of late LTTE head V Prabhakaran’s son Balachandran was marred in controversy when it was scheduled for release in 2014. Multiple pro Tamil groups were against the film’s release and hundreds of students protested against its release at the film’s audio launch event that was held in Chennai. Pravin Gandhi had said that his film, which narrates the events that lead to the killing of Balachandran, is "part fiction" and “part truth".
