CHENNAI: Piqued by criticism against his family members being in film industry, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said there was nothing wrong in their involvement and even his great grandson can plunge into the celluloid world.
"There is so much criticism against my family members for being involved in the film industry. Yes, my grandsons are into producing movies. But it is not a wrong thing to produce movies as it is an accepted profession,"? he said at the audio launch of a Tamil film here.
This is the second time since last month that the DMK patriarch, himself a script writer, has taken umbrage at the criticism against his family's growing presence in the Tamil film industry.
At a film industry function last month, he had drawn parallels with veteran Hindi actor Prithviraj Kapoor, saying the actor's next of kin still ruled Hindi cinema.
He was responding to criticism in a section of the media about the growing instances of his grandsons taking the plunge in Tamil cinema, either as producers or actors.
He had referred to Prithviraj's son Raj Kapoor taking to acting and direction and his brothers Shammi and Shashi Kapoor. Today, Prithiviraj Kapoor's grandson and granddaughters are also in film industry, he had noted, defending his family's involvement in the film world.
Karunandhi's grandsons, Udayanidhi Stalin and Dayanidhi Azhagiri, have floated their own film production companies, while one of his grandnephews and brother of Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran, Kalanidhi Maran, who co-owns media empire Sun TV Group, has also stepped into production.
Karunanidhi said today "it would not be a matter of surprise even if my great grandson also becomes a producer."
He said he wanted the Tamil cinema industry to grow and had therefore offered sops such as tax exemption for films carrying Tamil titles.