With the students’ protests over the Sri Lankan issue gaining momentum day by day in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil film industry has now joined the protests with a token fast that was observed near Valluvar Kottam on Tuesday.
About 1,000 people from 30 different unions affiliated to the Film Employees’ Federation of South India (FEFSI) and small screen TV actors association participated in the protest.
The protestors wanted the Union Government to take necessary action on the resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, economic sanctions against Sri Lanka to pressure the country into giving equal status and dignity to Tamils and ‘War criminal’ Rajapaksa to be produced before the international court and conduct an independent probe against the alleged atrocities committed against the Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government.
They also demanded a referendum for a separate Tamil Eelam for all Sri Lankan Tamils, including those residing outside Sri Lanka, and urged the Centre to snap all ties with the Sri Lankan government.
“If the Union Government does not take any positive step for Sri Lankan Tamils, the Tamil film industry would break all the ties with island nation. None of the Tamil movies would be screen in Sri Lanka,’’ said FEFSI president and director Ameer on the sidelines of the protest.
FEFSI association members who had been shooting outside the city took leave from work and gave their support to the Chennai fast, said G Siva, secretary, FEFSI, while ace director S P Muthuraman said that all the Tamilians should be united on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and work together for a definite solution.
Photographs of the Sri Lankan genocide were put up at the venue of the fast while a documentary on the alleged war crimes was also screened.
Prominent film personalities who attended the fast included music director Ilayaraja, movie directors Shankar, A R Murugadoss, Balaji Sakthivel, Suhasini, Jananathan, Sasikumar, Santhanabharathi, actors Vinu Chakravarthy, Sibi Sathyaraj and Prasanna. Small screen actor Kuyili also participated in the protest.
