KOCHI: The controversial film ‘Pulipaarvai’, which focuses on the murder of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran’s son, will hit the screens on November 14.
The movie, which revolves around Prabhakaran’s growth as the head of LTTE, contains scenes of his 12-year-old son being murdered by the Sri Lankan army.
The release of the film, which was originally scheduled in August, was stopped by pro-LTTE activists, alleging that the movie depicted the LTTE in poor light. There were also allegations that the movie was against India as the LTTE was responsible for the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Clarifying the matter, director Pravin Gandhi, who was in Kochi on Tuesday, told reporters that the movie was being promoted on the theme ‘We Love India’.
Pravin said that there was no attempt to evoke anti-Indian sentiments through the release of the film, which only showcases how Prabhakaran fought for the freedom of his Tamil brethren in Sri Lanka. He further clarified that the movie was intended to depict Prabhakaran in a positive light as he has always been shown as a negative character.
“Many such incidents took place in Sri Lanka that had forced Prabhakaran to take to violence while demanding freedom for the Tamils. Political parties are afraid that their ideals and political future would be affected by the release of the move, which is why many of them are opposing such films,” he added.
The film was also criticized for its depiction of child soldiers, and the director was forced to delete certain scenes from the move. However, the Madras High Court has dismissed the pleas against the release of the movie.
Based on the court’s order, the movie will be released in Kerala and Tamil Nadu on the Children’s Day. Pravin Gandhi said that Prabhakaran’s son Balachandran’s photos and the footage of his death had inspired him to make the movie.
Owing to its sensitive subject, the film was not shot in Sri Lanka, and the director chose certain parts of Kerala for the shooting.
“The people of Kerala and Sri Lankan share a common culture in many ways. The reason why I included many Malayalis in the cast of the film is the physical similarities between them and Sri Lankans.
The movie is produced by S Madhan, who himself has donned the role of Prabhakaran. Balachandran’s role was enacted by Satyadev. The film is a semi-documentary with a fantasy element.