Chennai: On the birth anniversary of Velupillai Prabhakaran today, filmmaker Venkatesh Kumar G has come out with a first look poster of his movie Seerum Puli, a bio-pic on the LTTE chief. Actor Bobby Simha plays the title role.
Venkatesh Kumar is known for making films like Unakkul Naan and Light Man. His first project Neelam, based on the Sri Lankan civil war, was banned by the Central Board of Film Certification. It claimed that the film might affect the relationship between Sri Lanka and India.
Seerum Puli is one more in the long list of bio-pics being made in Tamil cinema. Remember the lives of former chief ministers Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi and MGR are being made as films?
BOBBY SIMHA
Bobby Simha made his debut as an actor with Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi in 2012. He followed it up with Pizza, Neram, Jigarthanda and Chennai Ungalai Anbudan Varaverkirathu. He won the national award for best supporting actor for his performance in Jigarthanda in 2014.
Besides acting in Tamil films, Bobby Simha has appeared in a few Malayalam movies. His recent release was Saamy Square in which he played the character Ravana Pichai, a baddie who has his roots in Sri Lanka. The actor is currently busy with Rajinikanth starrer Petta.
Movies made on LTTE and Lankan Tamils had met with troubles in the past from the Censor Board and political parties. R K Selvamani’s Kuttra Pathirikai, based on the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, faced huge hurdles.
THE WAR
Velupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant organisation that sought to create an independent Tamil State in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
For over 25 years, the LTTE waged war against Sri Lanka to create an independent State for the Sri Lankan Tamil people. He was reportedly killed in the fighting with the Sri Lankan Army on 18 May 2009.