Asin: Island row

Chennai, July 25: The war might have ended a year ago but Sri Lanka is still a no-go zone for Tamil stars, Asin is finding out.

A meeting of the South Indian Film Artistes’ Association today criticised the actress for shooting a film in the island nation, but deferred taking action against her.

“Though our association had issued a diktat to its members not to visit Sri Lanka just before the IIFA awards function, Asin chose to go for a shooting schedule later. She may be from Kerala but she acts in Tamil films and must respect Tamil sentiments. Though many of us wanted immediate action against her, our president Sharath Kumar advised restraint,” thundered actor Radha Ravi, also the general secretary of the association.

Ravi declared that only if she apologised would other Tamil stars, who are members of the association, act with her.

Asin and actor Salman Khan had gone to Lanka to shoot for the Hindi film Ready early this month, and have since returned. Loud protests by Tamil film associations and fringe groups, such as Naam Tamilar and the 17 May Movement, had begun while she was in Sri Lanka.

Amid demands that the Tamil film industry boycott Asin and not feature her in any movie, the actress made a smart move to counter the criticism.

Accompanied by Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wife Shiranthi, she visited camps of displaced island Tamils and danced and sang with the children there. She also sponsored an eye camp.

“It is unfair to target me for shooting in Lanka since the venue is decided by the producer of a film and as an artiste I have to go where he asks me to. Also, when our cricketers are touring Sri Lanka, what is wrong in me going there?” Asin had then asked in her defence. She could not be reached for comment today.

The only support for Asin today came from Sharath Kumar, who said: “It is not correct to interfere with the artistic freedom of film stars and their commitments to their producers. No individual can dictate terms to us on where we can go or not. Only our body will decide on that. Anyway, we will take a final decision on the issue during a meeting of the joint action council of various film bodies.”

Tamil films, however, are still being screened in Lanka and producers continue to make money from selling overseas rights there.

If Asin is facing censure for travelling to Lanka for work, Tamil comedian Karunaas has been warned against going there for even a personal visit. He yesterday complained to Chennai police that he and his family had received threat calls from members of the Naam Tamilar movement of actor Seeman asking them not to visit the island country.

“My forefathers are from Lanka and I am going there with my family to pray at the Kadirgamar Murugan Temple at Kandy since it is my family deity,” the actor said, asserting he would make the trip.

Seeman is in jail under the National Security Act for threatening the lives of Sinhalese students in Tamil Nadu if any Tamil fishermen were killed by the Lankan navy. Though Naam Tamilar and the May 17 Movement had threatened to storm cinemas if films starring actors like Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan, who had attended the IIFA awards in Colombo, were shown, the Kareena-starrer Milenge, Milenge was screened in Chennai without opposition.