As Tamils world over mark one-year of the Indian abetted genocidal war against Eelam Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka, the Hindi film industry known as Bollywood and the major Indian conglomerate of trade unions, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) are joining hands with Rajapaksa regime in Colombo in staging 11th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards weekend during the first week of June in Colombo.
The FICCI, the largest and oldest business conglomerate of
The announcement of
Salman Khan, a prominent Hindi actor, who was invited to be the brand ambassador of the IIFA Charity Initiative, made the announcement of the venue by saying that he was to build 100 houses in
Another ‘interesting’ feature announced is the IIFA Foundation Celebrity Cricket Match, to be held between Indian celebrities and ‘Sri Lankan’ cricketers.
The cricket match, to be held on June 4, has been profiled as ‘cricket for change’ to collect funds to rehabilitate former child soldiers. The duo turned foes of Bollywood, Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan, are to play together in the cricket match.
Furthermore,
It is under these circumstances, the Hindi film industry is being blamed for promoting Indian corporate interests in
However, the Indian move has sparked protests from Tamils in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and the Diaspora.
Tamil film industry in Tamil Nadu has declared non-cooperation with the Bollywood film industry, said activists in Chennai, urging Tamils in the Diaspora to exert pressure on Bollywood market overseas.
A joint statement was issued by the film industries in South India on Friday not to release films of those Indian actors and technicians who attend the
Apart from jeopardising the South Indian screening of films the order also threatens the release of Tamil films that feature the actors who attend the festival.
The primary demand remains that the venue of the festival be changed, to condemn
All Tamil actors, who received invitation from the event organizers, turned down the request, as an order was passed earlier by the Tamil film industry stating it would completely ignore the event.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.