The makers of the Tamil crime thriller Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru, starring Karthi and Rakul Preet Singh, have issued a statement apologising to the Bawariya tribe after members of the community alleged that the film portrays them in a negative light.
Directed by H Vinoth, the film is based on a series of crimes involving organised robbery and murder that took place between 1995 and 2005 and that were investigated by the Tamil Nadu police. The culprits were believed to be part of the Bawariya tribe.
The film, which was released on November 17, opened to positive reviews. However, people belonging to the Bawariya tribe took offence to the film’s depiction of them as a criminal gang. The controversial scene refers to them as “Kuttrapparambarai” (hereditary criminals).
“Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru is only based on incidents of robbery that took place across south India,” Vinoth and producer SR Prabhu said in their apology. “Our film has not portrayed any community in bad light. Further, robbery is not a profession in any community. But still, to people, who feel our film has hurt their sentiments, we convey our apologies and regrets. The forthcoming television telecast and official online streaming of Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru will not have the book scene and dialogues mentioning the denotified community (Kuttra Parambarai).”
At the success meet of the film, Vinoth added that he has explained the film’s position to members of Seer Marabinar Nalaga Sangam, which represents the tribe.
