The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a First Information Report (FIR) against Tamil actor Suriya and T.J. Gnanavel, the director of the film Jai Bhim. The FIR was filed at the Velachery police station in Chennai for allegedly offending the Vanniyar community by portraying it negatively in the film ‘Jai Bhim.’ The FIR was filed on May 17 at the request of Rudra Vanniyar Sena Advocate K. Santosh. The Madras High Court’s Justice N. Satish Kumar granted the actor and director’s joint petition to quash the FIR filed against them.
The petitioners stated in their plea that the film ‘Jai Bhim’ was based on a case handled by retired Madras High Court Judge Justice K. Chandru while he was still a practicing lawyer. It was stated that, with the exception of his name and that of the Inspector General of Police, Perumalswamy, the names of all other characters had been changed.
The film’s actor and director stated that they did not want to use the characters’ real names because the majority of them had completed their sentences and were still alive. The film was given an ‘A’ certificate by the Censor Board and was only available on the OTT platform, limiting the number of viewers who could watch it.
According to the petitioners, the film was well received around the world and was enjoyed by people of all races and creeds. The film also received a number of accolades and awards, including the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival Award, the JFW Award, and the Boston International Film Festival Award.
According to the filmmakers, P.S. Amalraj, Chairman of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, wrote a letter to the director praising the film ‘Jai Bhim.’ Despite all of these accolades and positive responses, the petitioners claimed that the complainant had approached the Metropolitan Magistrate court in Saidapet, Chennai, and obtained an order on May 6 to file an FIR against the filmmakers.
It should be noted that the Rudra Vanniyar Sena and the complainant were displeased with the villain’s name being ‘Gurumurthy,’ and that in one scene, a calendar of the Vanniyar Sangam was hanging behind his seat. As a result, the Vanniyar community has spoken out against Suriya and director T.S. Gjanavel.
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