Actor Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader MK Stalin and secretary of the party's youth wing, has pointed out a glaring historical inaccuracy in the Dhanush-starrer Karnan.
The makers of the Tamil film, which was released last week in cinemas and has received praise for its representation of caste, have promised to rectify the error.
While praising Karnan for its accurate portrayal of the pain faced by the oppressed, Udhayanidhi, who is also an actor and producer, stated that the events depicted in the film, which is based on the Kodiyankulam riots of 1995, are shown as taking take place in 1997. The DMK was the ruling party in Tamil Nadu in 1997 while the events that inspired Karnan took place when its rival, the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), was in power.
‘கர்ணன்’ பார்த்தேன். ஒடுக்கப்பட்ட மக்களின் வலியையும், மறுக்கப்பட்ட அவர்களின் உரிமையையும் மிகைப்படுத்துதல் இன்றி எடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ள இப்படம் கொண்டாடப்பட வேண்டியது. நண்பர் @dhanushkraja,அண்ணன் @theVcreations, இயக்குநர்@mari_selvaraj மூவரிடமும் பேசி அன்பையும் வாழ்த்தையும் தெரிவித்தேன்.
— Udhay (@Udhaystalin) April 13, 2021
Udhayanidhi went on to state that he had shared his input with director Mari Selvaraj and producer Thanu and they had agreed to rectify the error in two days.
Karnan, a hard-hitting portrait of the caste divide and police brutality, raked in Rs25 crore on its opening weekend in Tamil Nadu.
The project, which marks the maiden collaboration between Dhanush and Mari Selvaraj, also stars Lal, Natty, Rajisha Vijayan, Yogi Babu and Lakshmipriyaa Chandramouli.