The heroes of a new hit film about the persecution of lower caste communities in India have been under police surveillance since receiving threats of violence on Thursday.
According to the French news agency AFP, 'Jay Bhim' is based on the true story of an activist lawyer who fights for a tribal woman whose husband was illegally arrested in 1993 and killed in police custody. Was
The film stars Surya, a well-known hero of the Tamil film industry, in the lead role.It is the latest film to highlight the plight of millions of tribal people in India and the lower caste Dalits - the 'untouchables' - who are at the bottom of the Hindu caste system.
Released on Amazon Prime, the film has garnered rave reviews and has been an extraordinary Tamil language success in India, a vast country of 22 official languages.
'Jay Bhim' is, in short, the highest rated film on the film database IMDB, surpassing the Hollywood classic 'The Godfather' and 'The Shashank Redemption'.
However, it has also angered many in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, especially the Vaniyar community, who say the film portrays them badly.Vinayar Sangam, an organization representing the community, has sent legal notices to the filmmakers seeking damages and demanded the removal of some scenes.
A member of a local political party has announced a Rs 100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Saravanan Shivakumar, the film's lead actor, popularly known as Syria. Syria is also the co-producer of the film.
Police have since launched an investigation into the politician and five armed police officers have been deployed to guard his home in Chennai, Syria.
In addition, they carry extra security when they travel.
This and other threats to Syria have started supporting the actor on social media with the hashtag #WeStandWithSuriya.
