Prakash Raj makes his stand clear in Jai Bhim slapping controversy
A couple of days ago, Prakash Raj was called out for slapping a man for speaking in Hindi in the film. However, a huge section of people came out in support of the actor, saying that the particular scene was misunderstood. Now, Prakash Raj has opened up about the ongoing controversy.
“After watching a film like Jai Bhim, they did not see the agony of the tribal people, they did not see and feel terrible about the injustice, they saw only the slap. That is all they understood; this exposes their agenda. That said, certain things have to be documented,” he said in a recent interview.
Explaining the particular scene, he added, “For example, the anger of South Indians on Hindi being forced on them. How else will a police officer who is investigating a case react when he knows that a person who knows the local language chooses to speak in Hindi to dodge questioning? That has to be documented, right? The film is set in the 1990s. If that character had Hindi imposed on him, he would have reacted this way only. Probably if it came across as more intense, it is also because that is my thought too, and I stand by that thought.”
Director Tha Se Gnanavel’s Jai Bhim starring Suriya, Manikandan and Lijomol Jo is based on a true incident that happened in the 90s. The film talks about the police brutality and caste injustice meted out to the members of the Irular tribe.