Film maker out to recover his seized copy

Thushara Peiris, the Sri Lankan film director who was inhumanly assaulted by a violent mob in Chennai, India, plans to travel back to India to recover the films which were allegedly seized by the Chennai Technicians Union. However no date has yet been fixed, he told The Sunday Times.

Meanwhile, the Government has also taken steps to bring down the film copy belonging to Thushara. Thushara, the director of ‘Prabhakaran’, a film which revolves around the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and the recruitment of child soldiers, had gone to India to make the Tamil version of the film. He was assaulted by a violent mob last Tuesday just outside the Gemini Colour Laboratory in Chennai where he was working on his film. Thushara was forced to leave India without his film copy.

Cultural Affairs Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told The Sunday Times that talks would be held with the relevant authorities in India. The Foreign Ministry has been instructed to take up the issue with its Indian counterparts and the Sri Lankan High Commission in Tamil Nadu is also looking into the matter, the Minister said.“There is hardly anything we could do at the moment.

The matter is with the Indian Government. However we would continue to watch the situation and take necessary action”, he said. Meanwhile Thushara called off the hunger strike he launched last week demanding the protection of his film following the assurance given by the Sri Lankan Government. However, he threatened to launch a hunger strike again if the steps taken by the Government were not satisfactory.

“I will closely watch the action taken by the Government. I have been assured that my film and other equipment would be brought down by next week,” Thushara said, adding that he would go ahead with the release of the film as planned.

Thushara, who received critical injuries including a cut on his back following the attack, said that he has also been received threats following the attack.

“Various political groups in India have also requested that the Tamil version of the film in be not exhibited in India. They claim that this is an anti-Tamil film. But I will never do that. The majority of the people involved in making and editing the film were Tamils, if it is an anti-Tamil film they would have protested,” he said.

“Such a film, made by a Sri Lankan, is a challenge to other film directors, actors and producers. They don’t want a film, done by a foreigner being shown in their country. But Indians don’t have any problems with showing their films and working on films here.

‘Prabhakaran’ is to be released in Sri Lanka on April 5.