Should cinema confine to territory of one language: Pon Radhakrishnan

Chennai: BJP seniors on Tuesday lashed out at veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja for connecting Tamil film ‘superstar’ Rajinikanth with their party.

Reacting sharply, a piqued Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan, asked, “some people in film industry are slamming Rajini for his Karnataka roots. Are they ready to stop Tamil artistes from acting in Kannada films?”

Questioning the rationale of dragging linguistic issue or passing disparaging remarks targeting an individual’s ethnic background, Mr Radhakrishnan sought to know if the film fraternity, which is know for its patronising talent, be confined to the precincts of one language. “Bharathiraja is a good director who had encouraged talent and in elevating Rajini and entire Tamil Nadu had showered accolades on the actor. How come they suddenly see his colour now? Are they going to issue a statement asking Kannada artistes not to come to Tamil Nadu?” he asked.

Similarly, asking Tamil actors not to act in other language films is the worst thing that could happen in the film industry, Mr Radhakrishnan expressed.

Expressing in similar vein, BJP state president Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan said, those who connected Rajini with BJP are “ambassadors of negative forces from foreign countries.”

In a statement on Monday evening, Bharathiraja mounted a scathing attack on Rajinikanth for justifying the April 10 police lathicharge against the protestors demanding the Constitution of the Cauvery Management Board and remarked, “it is only now clear that you are not a Tamizhan, but a messenger of Karnataka. Your mask is slowly coming off.” Recently, the superstar condemning the attack on a cop by a supporter of Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi, called for “stringent laws” to punish the miscreants.