Films like Kadhal Kaditham and Kanathil Muthamital have time and again proved Kollywood’s fascination for the Sri Lankan theme. And the fast being organised today comes as the latest affirmation to this AS Tamil film actors sit on a fast in Chennai on November 1, there may be some sniggering at the exercise suggesting that it is all a big farce. Some may even be recalling the various Kollywood shows organised in connection with the Cauvery and Hoggenakkal imbroglios.
But then, the fast, aimed at putting pressure on the government to end the war in Sri Lanka, can not be placed on the same plane as that of the ‘agitations’ on Cauvery or Hoggenakkal, for the Tamil film industry has always been fascinated by Sri Lanka.
The plight of the Tamil people, their coming over to India as refugees and their armed struggle against the Sinhala- dominated government, have inspired Tamil filmmakers to present those issues on celluloid over the years.
“Kadhal Kaditham, the film directed by Mukesh with Amisha and Balaji in the cast, might not have set the box office on fire. But the film, which released earlier this year did touch upon the issue, and the love story so poignantly, showcased the uncertainties facing the Sri Lankan Tamil people.
Mani Ratnam’s Kanathil Muthamital, which did fairly well in the box office, too, took the viewers to war zones of Sri Lanka, bringing to light the situation there. It is a story of a Sri Lankan Tamil woman, who leaves her daughter immediately after her birth in Rameswaram and goes back to join the militants in their armed struggle.
The girl is adopted by a Tamil couple, who has to undertake a journey to the strife-torn areas later on, as the girl wants to see her biological mother.
Then of course the film Nanda, which gave a boost to the film career of actor Surya, deals with the Sri Lankan refugee problem. The protagonist falls in love with a girl in the refugee camp in Rameswarm.
Another film story that revolved around the Sri Lankan issue is Jeeva’s Rameswaram. Then there is the film Aniver, shot in Sri Lanka which is yet to be released in Tamil Nadu. The crew of the film is from here, though it cannot be completely described as a Kollywood product.
However, it was the Santhosh Sivan filmTerrorist, starring Ayesha Dharkar, that can be called the most gripping and well-taken movie on issue. And then of course, who can forget the film Katruku ena Velley, that was caught in the controversy over the censor board’s objection. Well, the list is longer.
