Etharkkum Thunindhavan is all set to be Suriya's first pan-India release. Along with the Tamil, the dubbed versions will be released simultaneously in Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada on March 10. In Karnataka, the film will be shown on 300 screens, the highest ever for a Suriya film.
However, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the film will face tough stiff from Prabha's Radhe Shyam, which is making to the screens on March 11.
Call for boycotting Etharkkum Thunindhavan
Directed by Pandiraj, the film also stars Priyanka Arul, Vinay, Sathyaraj, and Rajkiran in pivotal roles. The action-drama is Suriya's landmark 40th film and fourth collaboration with Pandiraj who is known for his action-packed family entertainers.
Meanwhile, the student wing leader of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has called for a boycott of the film. The actor, who has a long-standing tiff with PMK, is yet to respond to the issue. Vijayvarman, the Cuddalore district secretary of the PMK student wing, has written a letter to the Theatre Owners' Association in the district, asking for a boycott of the film.
Suriya faced the wrath of PMK leaders after the release of his critically-acclaimed Jai Bhim. The film portrays the struggle of the Irular community for an identity. Immediately after the release of the film, the party objected to its portrayal of the vanniyar community.
In a letter written to the Theatres Association, Vijayvarman mentions, "While advocate Chandru was portrayed in the same name, as all other characters except SI Anthonysamy, a Dalit Christian, who alone was portrayed as Gurumoorthy, a Vanniyar. The police sub-inspector has been portrayed as a casteist and as a Vanniyar by showcasing the symbol of the community, agni kalasam, in his home. And they have portrayed the entire Vanniyar community people as casteists." The party also claims it as an attempt to malign their name and fame.
Based on a few real-life incidents, Jai Bhim created quite an uproar during its release. PMK cadres tried to stop the screening at a few places. Later, Suriya released a statement clarifying that the team has no intentions of hurting any particular community's sentiments. Meanwhile, producer Gnanavel Raja replaced the image of agni kalasam with goddess Lakshmi to avoid any further controversies.
