Protest Breaks Out Over Islamophobic Portrayals In Sivakarthikeyan-Sai Pallavi's 'Amaran'
The Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi starrer biographic film Amaran has landed in a controversy. Since the film’s release, protests erupted, with many alleging that the film propagates Islamophobia. With major Muslim leaders accusing the film’s portrayal of Muslims, the issue erupted with the protest of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) party.
The Rajkumar Periyasamy directorial, based on the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan and his courageous mission, has been accused of erupting anti-minority sentiments among people. On Thursday, over 150 members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) protested outside the office of actor Kamal Haasan, who produced the film in Alwarpet, Chennai.
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As per reports, K. Kareem, the State Secretary of the SDPI, said that Amaran was thrusting anti-minority sentiments among the people and claimed that the film was not a complete biopic.
He added that the film was made to sow hatred against Muslims. Kareem also highlighted the 2013 Kamal Haasan film, Vishwaroopam, and said that the film also had elements of hatred towards Muslims.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi founder-president MH Jawahirullah has also said that the film promotes divisive narratives and compared Amaran to controversial anti-Muslim films like The Kashmir Files (2022) and The Kerala Story (2023). Even though the film centres around the mission of Major Mukund, it is being criticised for failing to highlight the genuine issues faced by the Kashmiris.
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Amaran has also been criticised for the use of the Azaadi slogan, which was also commonly raised at protests against the Union government’s policies, such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Notably, the film also has a song track titled Azaadi, which was dedicated to the Indian Army.
Ahead of the film’s release, the makers faced a similar issue in February, where the Tamilaga Makkal Jananayaga Katchi (TMJK) protested against its representation of Muslims based on the film’s promotional material.
