Trailer
The statement of Thushara Peiris, the director of "Prabhakaran".
I went to India on the 20th of March to complete the Tamil version of my maiden film
‘Prabhakaran’ . This film revolves around the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and recruiting
of child soldiers. Throughout last week the film was a hot subject that was given
prominence in the Indian media creating headlines. I was not very much aware what was
going on. However there had been massive and misleading propaganda claiming that the
film was anti-Tamil. A violent mob of more than 1000 which included Indian film
directors, producers and technicians started a protest in front of the Gemini Laboratory
from Tuesday morning. I completed my work and was coming out of the lab and that
time I was question by some people in the mob who were waiting outside.
At that moment I realized that the mob was getting violent and somebody asked me to
run back to the lab and I started running. They chased after me and started to attack me.
They hit me on my head and I felt a cut on my back and then passed out After about 45
minutes I came to my senses and realized that all my clothes were torn and I was lying on
the ground in a room. The crowd was still shouting slogans. During the attack I heard
them mentioning President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name and I realized that they shouting
that I had made a film for President Rajapaksa, which was totally wrong.
{Now the officials of India have recognized that, Suba Weerapaandian (leader of
Dravidian Tamil Movement Party), S. Wanniarasu (Leader of Widuthalai Chirunailal
Party) and Seeman (A film director and a supporter of LTTE) had led the violent mob.}
Later the media and police rushed to the place and the assailants themselves brought a
new shirt and forced me to wash my face and kept me under hostage in a room in the
laboratory. I was not allowed to talk to the media neither by those assailants nor the
police.
Later the officers of the Indian intelligence RAW and Police escorted me to my hotel. As
I entered the hotel, all my belongings were ready at the entrance with my passport and I
was taken to the airport where a number of RAW officers gave me protection.
Before returning to Sri Lanka I was forced to participate in a conference where officers
from Indian Police, film producers and technicians and Censor Board officials
participated. There the technicians demanded that they wanted to see the film to which I
agreed and requested them to screen it at the Gemini Lab. There I was made to sign a
document which stated that if there was any scene which was anti- Tamil or anti-terrorist,
the film would not be screened in India.
I had to leave the film at the Gemini Laboratory and leave India. I am worried about my
film which I made spending nearly Rs. 40 million and I requested the Sri Lanka High
Commission in India to protect my work of art. I request the relevant authorities to
protect my film for all Sri Lankan and Tamils around the world to see. Eight copies of the
film were to be released worldwide.
I must say that this is not a pro-government or anti-LTTE film. It is a film about loss of
humanity as a result of the thirty-year-old war and to show the LTTE view of the Sinhala
community.
Official Site
http://www.prabhakaranfilm.com/
The statement of Thushara Peiris, the director of "Prabhakaran".
I went to India on the 20th of March to complete the Tamil version of my maiden film
‘Prabhakaran’ . This film revolves around the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and recruiting
of child soldiers. Throughout last week the film was a hot subject that was given
prominence in the Indian media creating headlines. I was not very much aware what was
going on. However there had been massive and misleading propaganda claiming that the
film was anti-Tamil. A violent mob of more than 1000 which included Indian film
directors, producers and technicians started a protest in front of the Gemini Laboratory
from Tuesday morning. I completed my work and was coming out of the lab and that
time I was question by some people in the mob who were waiting outside.
At that moment I realized that the mob was getting violent and somebody asked me to
run back to the lab and I started running. They chased after me and started to attack me.
They hit me on my head and I felt a cut on my back and then passed out After about 45
minutes I came to my senses and realized that all my clothes were torn and I was lying on
the ground in a room. The crowd was still shouting slogans. During the attack I heard
them mentioning President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name and I realized that they shouting
that I had made a film for President Rajapaksa, which was totally wrong.
{Now the officials of India have recognized that, Suba Weerapaandian (leader of
Dravidian Tamil Movement Party), S. Wanniarasu (Leader of Widuthalai Chirunailal
Party) and Seeman (A film director and a supporter of LTTE) had led the violent mob.}
Later the media and police rushed to the place and the assailants themselves brought a
new shirt and forced me to wash my face and kept me under hostage in a room in the
laboratory. I was not allowed to talk to the media neither by those assailants nor the
police.
Later the officers of the Indian intelligence RAW and Police escorted me to my hotel. As
I entered the hotel, all my belongings were ready at the entrance with my passport and I
was taken to the airport where a number of RAW officers gave me protection.
Before returning to Sri Lanka I was forced to participate in a conference where officers
from Indian Police, film producers and technicians and Censor Board officials
participated. There the technicians demanded that they wanted to see the film to which I
agreed and requested them to screen it at the Gemini Lab. There I was made to sign a
document which stated that if there was any scene which was anti- Tamil or anti-terrorist,
the film would not be screened in India.
I had to leave the film at the Gemini Laboratory and leave India. I am worried about my
film which I made spending nearly Rs. 40 million and I requested the Sri Lanka High
Commission in India to protect my work of art. I request the relevant authorities to
protect my film for all Sri Lankan and Tamils around the world to see. Eight copies of the
film were to be released worldwide.
I must say that this is not a pro-government or anti-LTTE film. It is a film about loss of
humanity as a result of the thirty-year-old war and to show the LTTE view of the Sinhala
community.
Official Site
http://www.prabhakaranfilm.com/
