Film director Vetrimaaran’s latest film Viduthalai Part 1, starring Soori and Vijay Sethupathi was released on 31 March 2023. The film is about a police constable (Soori) who gets recruited to track down a naxal leader named Perumal Vaathyaar (Vijay Sethupathi) who leads an outfit named ‘Makkal Padai’ (People’s Army) which fights the government system and corporates exploiting natural resources.
Though the makers of the film have put a disclaimer that all characters and incidents in the movie are fictional, the film is based on B. Jeyamohan’s short story Thunaivan which is based on the real-life incidents that happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
On 15 March 1987, the railway track between Ariyalur and Sillakudi at the Marudhaiyar bridge was blown up leading the Rockfort Express to derail resulting in 26 dead and around 140 people injured.
The perpetrators of the act belonged to the Tamil Nadu Viduthalai Padai (Tamil Nadu Liberation Troop) headed by a man called Thamizharasan who was arrested in 1985 in one case and had come out on parole. The TNVP had links to various other Tamil separatist and naxal outfits.
According to an India Today report, posters recovered at the site and Ariyalur questioned the Government’s failure to officially recognise Tamil Eelam, with calls against imposition of Hindi and demand for the return of the arrested militants.
Thamizharasan, Kaliapperumal, Sundaram, were the prominent leaders of the TNVP. The FIR filed by the police listed Thamizharasan alias Krishnamoorthy, Jegannathan alias Vayithuvali, Dharmalingam alias Balu, and 7 others as conspirators.
One of the prime accused in the Marudhaiyar bridge incident was TADA’ Periyasamy who is now a BJP Tamil Nadu leader. He was detained on 25 April 1987 and sent to 15 days judicial custody. He was slapped with the National Security Act and was sentenced to death. He was later acquitted by the Madras High Court but only after spending 3 years in jail.
Another similar incident happened on 24 October 1992 in which the railway track between Palanganatham – Kallagam railway stations was blown up. Periyasamy, Deivasigamani alias Lenin who TNVP after Thamizharasan’s death, Karalan alias Nagarajan and Seeliyambatti Rajaram were arrested in the case. Periyasamy was slapped with charges under the now-repealed Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act thus giving him the moniker ‘TADA’. Thus, in total TADA Periyasamy spent 6 years in jail due to his involvement in the Tamil separtists movements of that time.
However, Vetrimaaran has no where made any mention to TADA Periyasamy while Vijaya Sethupathi’s character has been based on Thamizharasan.
In a social media post, TADA Periyasamy slammed Vetrimaaran for the selective and fictitious portrayal. He said “Attempts to cover up the political ideas of the then struggles and the true history is condemnable.”
Vetrimaaran has also been promoting his films through political leaders like Naam Tamilar Katchi head Seeman and VCK’s Thirumavalavan.
Commenting on this, Periyasami said “It is ridiculous to make people like Thirumavalavan and Seeman watch the film and make them look like rebels. In those times, people like Thirumavalavan and Seeman were not in the political arena. They were college students then.”
He said that Vetrimaaran should’ve carefully handled the portrayal of the film and said that the movie in its current form will cause confusion and misunderstanding about the movement.
“I kindly request that a clear true history be recorded and filmed in the second part of Viduthalai”, TADA Periyasamy said.
1.விடுதலை திரைப்படம்
நண்பர்கள் பலர் தொலைபேசியில் விடுதலை திரைப்படம் பாருங்கள் அதில் நீங்கள் தூக்குத் தண்டனை பெற்ற அரியலூர் மருதையாற்று பாலம் வெடிகுண்டு சம்பவம் இடம்பெற்று இருப்பதாக கூறினார்கள். அதன் அடிப்படையில் நேற்று வெற்றிமாறன் இயக்கத்தில் வெளிவந்துள்ள விடுதலை திரைப்படத்தை pic.twitter.com/bV4rjbg86j
— தடா.பெரியசாமி (@tadaperiyasami) April 3, 2023
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