Kollywood divided on Seeman, Ameer arrest

CHENNAI: Kollywood’s October 19 rally, expressing solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils, may have been a huge draw, but in the wake of the arrest of
directors Seeman and Ameer, the festive season just got a little dimmer for the industry.

“It will be a sad Deepavali for us,” read a statement from director Bharatiraja on Sunday. According to a producer who attended a day-long meeting at the Producers’ Council on the eve of Deepavali, “Neither secessionism nor politics is our agenda.”

While a section of the industry is worried over the fall-out of the speeches by Seeman and Ameer, the Nadigar Sangam has maintained a stoic silence, signalling a polarised situation yet again within Kollywood. When the announcement of the rally was made, it was presumed that all the stars would participate, but barring Vadivelu, the big stars stayed away from Rameswaram.

“The logistics of organising a trip to Rameswaram at such short notice were huge,” said actor Sarath Kumar, who heads the AISMK (All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi).

On condition of anonymity, Nadigar Sangam officials said that it was a conscious decision to avoid the Rameswaram show. “There were apprehensions that some of the speakers could turn out to be rabble-rousers, and get emotional” said a Nadigar Sangam official. “Walking the tightrope between politics and cinema, between one Kazhagam and another, calls for a lot of skill and all the stars were worried about being linked to either of the Kazhagams, and hence the decision to keep away,” said another actor.

Industry observers point out that despite the close relationship between politics and cinema in Tamil Nadu “No one can ride two horses at the same time, then entry into politics would mean the end of one’s film career,” they added.

Ananda Suresh, producer and member of South Indian Film Exporters Association, however, said that the rally was not aimed at gaining political mileage for anyone. “Tamil producers owe a moral debt to Sri Lankan Tamils. They have helped our films grow in the export market exponentially in the last few years,” he said. Ten years ago, the overseas rights of Tamil films fetched only about Rs 2 lakh. “Currently a Vijay or Ajith film fetches Rs 2 crore and more overseas, while a Rajnikanth film is sold for Rs 10 crore,” said Suresh. It is business, not politics, he added.