CHENNAI: Fishermen at Kasimedu harbour protested against a film shoot that was on near their place on Saturday. They said fishermen were wrongly portrayed as criminals and drug peddlers in some movies recently.
They stopped shooting of film ‘Champion’. After the director Suseenthiran gave in writing that fishers and North Chennai locals will not be shown in bad light, shooting resumed.
The Tamil movie which revolves round a boy and his passion for football is slated for release in 2019.
Locals said some recent movies wrongly portrayed the lives of people hailing from North Chennai. Many faced social stigma which surrounds this region of the city. “When I wanted to enrol my daughter in an English medium school in the city, teachers looked at me with suspicion as I stay at Royapuram. Not everyone here is a gangster or is involved in drug peddling. Movies exaggerate reality and our reputation takes a hit,” said a fisherman who did not want to be named.
A major portion of the shooting for the movie had been completed and the remaining few scenes had to be shot at fishing harbour. Johnson, manager of the director, said, “The fishers understood our intent after we explained the plot and let us continue the shoot.”