George Town :Penang Chief Minister II Prof Dr P.Ramasamy (pic) today joined the list of critiques slamming Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathy for playing the role of Sri Lankan cricketer Muralitharan.
“Acting as Muralitharan is tantamount to demeaning and insulting Tamils.
Generally with few exceptions, cinema actors in India, will do anything to earn money, immaterial of the consequences of the acts they perform. Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi, an upcoming movie star in Tamil Nadu, has agreed to a movie to portray the character of Muthiah Muralitharan, a famous Sri Lankan cricketer, a Tamilian. Muralitharan grew up in Sri Lanka during the civil war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces, of primarily Sinhalese composition. From the beginning, Muralitharan although a Tamil had no sympathy for the Tami cause. He identified more with the majority Sinhalese for his popularity and career advancement. He lived, worked and played within the confines and shelter provided by the Sinhalese community and Sinhalese leaders. He became great supporter of the Sinhalese leader and former president Mahinda Rajapakse
Rajapakse was singularly responsible for the massacre of over hundred thousand of innocent Tamils in the north-east of Sri Lanka during the closing stages of the civil war in 2009” Ramasamy said.
Posting his comments on his facebook page Ramasamy further noted : “While world Tamils mourned the death and destruction of Tamils, but Muralitharan in his haste to celebrate the defeat of the Tamil people described the year 2009 as his happiest year or day in his life. Muralitharan might have been great cricket player, but he forgot his roots to celebrate the victory of the diabolical Sinhala nation over the Tamil nation. Throughout the war, he never once spoke about the terrible and inhuman suffering of the Tamil people, especially the slaughter of innocent Tamils including the rape of innocent women.
Yet he had the temerity to say that he cannot help being born as a s Tamil. He said this to delink himself from his own ethnic group. Such an utterance goes to show that he regretted to have been born a Tamil. For him, to be born as Tamil was a stigma in Sri Lanka”
Ramasamy also noted that there is uproar in Tamil circles that Sethupathy should not perform the role of Muralitharan.
Several cinema dignitaries including popular director Barathirajah (pic) has called on Vijay Sethupathy to withdraw from the movie.
Famous Tamil cinema lyricist Vairamuthu, posted a message on his twitter page, also urging Vijay Sethupathy to refuse the role offered to him.
“Not because the latter was not good sportsman, but a person despite being born and brought up as Tamil, sought to veer away from the terrible sufferings of his community merely for asking equal rights. Muralitharan might be a world class cricketer, but fails as a good human being. If he can idolise the butcher Mahinda Rajapakse, then it makes little difference whether he is Tamil or Sinhalese or for that matter belonging to any other ethnic community. He should be first a human being than a Tamil, but alas he is neither” Ramasamy further noted on his facebook posting.
“For Sethupathy, he should not of think of making millions from the Tamil audience to act in this movie, but understand their trials and tribulations in supporting the cause of their brethren in Sri Lanka. Performing the role of Muralitharan is tantamount to insulting Tamils and their noble cause” Ramasamy said.
