Jai Bhim makers, Suriya, Amazon Prime get legal notice from Vanniyar Sangam seeking apology, ₹5 crore in damages

The State president of the Vanniyar Sangam, Arulmozhi on Monday issued a legal notice to the makers of movie 'Jai Bhim', actor Suriya and Amazon Prime Video alleging that the movie has portrayed the Vanniyar community in a defamatory manner with the intent to harm the reputation and goodwill of the community..The group alleged that the makers of the film had an 'ulterior motive', and that the 'defamatory scenes' in the film 'assassinate the image and reputation earned by the Vanniyar community.'Issued through Advocate K Balu, the notice states that: ."Only with malicious intention to portray Vanniyar Sangam in poor light, the makers have deliberately framed certain scenes of the movie, only to cause greater disrepute to the community." Issues Raised by the CommunityThe notice stated that since the movie was based on a real story of the custodial torture of members of an undeprivileged community, all the real names of characters of the incident were retained in the film, yet the name of the Sub-Inspector of Police who tortured the victims in police custody was changed."In one of the sequence of the movie, you have shown the symbol of Vanniyar Singam in the calendar behind the Sub-Inspector of Police who commits the atrocity of torture in the movie. You deliberately got a calendar printed of 1995 with the symbol of 'Agni Kundam' representing Vanniyar Sangam Community with a malafide intention...," the notice claimed.It was also alleged that the makers deliberately used the name Guru for the Sub-Inspector (SI) in the movie though the SI involved was from Christian community. This was done only so that the character resembled one of the frontline leaders of the Vanniyar Sangam Community. In this backdrop, the notice has alleged that: "You have projected the said wicked person, a wrongdoer, as if he belonged to the Vanniyar Community thereby imputing that the members of the Vanniyar Community are prone to commit wrong and illegal things while in real life the said Sub-Inspector does not belong to the Vanniyar Community."Demands of the NoticeThe notice states that a case is made for civil and criminal defamation charges. The demands raised read as under:- To remove the defamatory scenes as well as any reference to the community and its symbol of 'Agni Kundam' with immediate effect.- To tender and unconditional apology for having produced and released the said film for public viewing with scenes and sequences demeaning and defamatory to the community.- To immediately desist and cease from making or publishing any false, malicious and defamatory remarks against the community and its people.- To pay the community a monetary damage of ₹5 Crores..[Read Notice]