South Indian star Suriya enjoying break in Dubai with family

Star south Indian actor Suriya (Saravanan Sivakumar), who is caught in a controversy over his film ‘Jai Bhim,’ is vacationing in Dubai along with his actress wife Jyotika and their two children.

A photograph of him with his fans is going viral on social media. ‘Jai Bhim’ premiered on Amazon Prime video on November 2 and was widely well-received. However, it ran into a controversy when some political outfits opposed the misrepresentation of a community. The Vanniyar Sangam has asked him to apologise to the community and has filed a case in a court in Tamil Nadu.

A political party has also opposed the naming of a negative character as Guru, which is also the name of its leader, a former MLA.

The film focuses on the Irular community in the state and how it confronts challenges including custodial torture and caste discrimination. It tells the story of a lawyer, played by Suriya, who defends a pregnant woman whose husband was arrested and later declared missing.

But members of many nomadic tribes in Tamil Nadu have welcomed the film. “Through the film, the very existence of tribal communities and their deplorable living conditions are exposed to the world,” said M.R. Murugan, president, Tamil Nadu Tribal Nomads Federation.

“For that, we are immensely thankful to the actor.”

• India