A video of Dravidianist actor Suriya and director Siva visiting the Sri Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple in Sholingar, near Ranipet has gone viral, following the intense backlash from fans after the release of Suriya’s recent movie ‘Kanguva’, which received severe criticism and widespread trolling from all corners of the country.
லட்சுமி நரசிம்மர் கோயிலில் நடிகர் சூர்யா சாமி தரிசனம்.. ஓடிப்போய் செல்பி எடுத்துக்கொண்ட ரசிகர்கள்.. சிறுத்தை சிவாவுடன் ரோப் காரில் சென்று மகிழ்ந்த காட்சி!#Suriya #Kanguva #SiruthaiSiva #Ranipet #LakshmiNarasimharTemple #NewsTamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/4kM8gsfMdb
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) November 20, 2024
The actor’s sudden visit to the temple, follows reports of theatre shows for the movie ‘Kanguva’ getting cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Despite the earlier screening of ‘Amaran’, which emerged as a rival to ‘Kanguva’ with a smaller budget, the movie continues to draw a full house even after two weeks of screening.
Social media users took issue with the actor’s visit, questioning the contrast between his family’s previous statements—where they had urged citizens, particularly Hindus, to direct their donations away from temples and instead contribute to schools and hospitals. Many saw the actor’s actions as hypocritical, given the recent public stance on charity.
The ridicule and trolling directed at actor Suriya stem from his wife, Jyothika’s statement at a 2020 awards ceremony, where she emphasized the importance of donating to schools and hospitals instead of temples. She had compared the grandeur of the Brihadeeshwara temple to Udaipur’s palaces, but her experience with a poorly maintained hospital during her filming led her to advocate for prioritizing donations to educational and healthcare institutions.
Instead of criticizing the state for its handling of health services, she subtly used the platform to urge the public to direct their charitable contributions toward schools and hospitals, asserting that these sectors are more, deserving of support.
Even this time, when ‘Kanguva’ being heavily criticized for its weak plot and poor execution, Jyotika, actor Suriya’s wife, took to social media to defend the film, calling out the harsh backlash. She expressed her disappointment at the “unfair” criticism, emphasizing that she was speaking as a cinema lover, not just as Suriya’s wife. Jyotika acknowledged the film’s flaws, particularly the first half-hour and jarring sound, but argued that these are common in large-scale, experimental films. She praised the movie for its unique cinematic experience, highlighting its visuals, camera work, and emotional storyline.
Jyotika also criticized the disproportionate negativity the film received compared to other big-budget Tamil movies, which often feature problematic tropes but aren’t subjected to the same scrutiny. She suggested that the backlash might have been part of a targeted campaign against the film, urging the ‘Kanguva’ team to remain proud of their work.
However, her defense of the film drew more criticism, with many pointing out the contradiction in her past statements about directing donations away from temples to schools and hospitals. Critics also took issue with her urging people to support the film, despite it being widely panned, as a way to sustain the extravagant lifestyle of the film’s cast and crew.
A Virtue-Signalling Family
Suriya and his family, particularly his wife Jyothika and brother Karthi have many a time indulged in virtue-signaling to peddle DMK propaganda. He was one of the frontrunners in peddling anti-NEET rhetoric and making comments against the National Education Policy 2020. His brother Karthi had called for the boycott of the three farm laws that were implemented by the Modi Government ignorant of the fact that such laws were already in place in Tamil Nadu.
After the DMK came to power, Suriya along with his family moved to Mumbai and currently lives in a sea-view house allegedly worth ₹70 crore. Despite Suriya residing with his family in Mumbai, armed policemen continue to guard his Chennai residence, courtesy of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu.
Furthermore, Suriya runs a “non-profit” organization called the Agaram Foundation and has resorted to virtue-signalling by being vocal for causes espoused by the ruling DMK. He is known for his anti-NEET stance when he claimed it filters away those aspiring to study medicine but Suriya’s hypocrisy shines through his teeth when one looks at the selection process for students seeking financial help for higher education through Agaram Foundation run by the actor. According to the Agaram Foundation’s website, they have a rigorous scoring system in place to identify ‘deserving’ students. This requirement contradicts the stated mission of promoting education and social equality.
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