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A Sri Lankan filmmaker who went to India to complete the Tamil version of his maiden film ‘Prabhakaran’ was inhumanly assaulted by a violent mob last Tuesday.
Thusara Peiries who received critical injuries including a cut on his back at the Gemini Colour Laboratory in Chennai was immediately rushed to Sri Lanka after RAW and Indian police intervened.
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Thusara showing the cut mark on his back. Pics by Daminda Harsha Perera
www.dailymirror.lk |
Thusara who had vomited several times following the attack is now undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Colombo.
Thusara who completed the Sinhala version of his film which revolves around the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and recruiting of child soldiers had gone to India on March 20 to make the Tamil version of the film.
“Throughout last week the problem was there and the film was a hot subject that was given prominence in the Indian media creating headlines. I was not very much aware what was going on. However there had been massive and misleading propaganda claiming that the film was anti-Tamil,” Thusara said few minutes before he was admitted to the hospital.
A violent mob of more than 1000 which included Indian film directors, producers and technicians started a protest in front of the Gemini Laboratory from Tuesday morning. Thusara who had completed his work and was coming out of the lab was question by some people in the mob who were waiting outside.
“I realized that the mob was getting violent and somebody asked me to run back to the lab and I started running. They chased after me and started to attack me. They hit me on my head and I felt a cut on my back and then passed out After about 45 minutes I came to my senses and realized that all my clothes were torn and I was lying on the ground. The crowd was still shouting slogans,” Thushara said.
During the attack I heard them mentioning President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name and I realized that they shouting that I had made a film for President Rajapaksa, which was totally wrong.
Later the media and police had rushed to place and the assailants themselves had brought a new shirt and forced him to wash his face and kept him under hostage in a room in the laboratory.
“I was not allowed to talk to the media by those assailants nor the police,” Thusara claimed.
Later officers of the Indian intelligence RAW and Police had escorted Thusara to his hotel where all his belongings were packed and prepared to send him back to Sri Lanka immediately.
“As I was entered the hotel all my belongings were ready at the entrance with my passport and I was taken to the airport where a number of RAW officers gave me protection,” he said.
However before returning to Sri Lanka Thusara was forced to participate in a conference where officers from Indian Police, film producers and technicians and Censor Board officials participated.
“There the technicians demanded that they wanted to see the film to which I agreed and requested them to screen it at the Gemini Lab. There I was made to sign a document which stated that if there was any scene which was anti- Tamil or anti-terrorist, the film would not be screened in India,” Thushara complained.
The young filmmaker had to leave the film at the Gemini Laboratory and leave India.
“I am worried about my film which I made spending nearly Rs. 40 million and I requested the Sri Lanka High Commission in India to protect my work of art,” he requested.
However Thushara complained that the Sri Lankan High Commission was aware about the tense situation that was gradually developing over the week and had not taken any step.
When contacted by the Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka Film Corporation General Manager Saman Weeraman said that he had received no information about the incident. The Sinhala version of the film was to be released from April 25 in Sri Lanka and it was passed by the Censor Board and was seen by high ranking Army officers while the President Rajapaksa had wanted to see the film.
The filmmaker requested the relevant authorities to protect his film for all Sri Lankan and Tamils around the world to see.
Eight copies of the film were to be released worldwide. “This is not a pro-government or anti-LTTE film. It is a film about loss of humanity as a result of the thirty-year-old war and to show the LTTE view of the Sinhala community. |
