Mumbai: It seems to be the year of controversies for Amitabh Bachchan. This time he has upset the Tamil community for endorsing Sri Lanka as the venue for the next Indian International Film Awards (IIFA).
Controversy seems to have become the Big B's middle name. After the Gujarat issue he must have been hoping for a Modi-cum of peace, but now a certain section of the Tamil community are offended by Amitabh Bachchan for endorsing Sri Lanka as the next port of call for the IIFA.
On Tuesday morning in Mumbai, group of over 50 to 60 people gathered outside Bachchan's home expressing their displeasure that IIFA would be hosted in Sri Lanka, a place where several thousand Tamilians have been killed.
The superstar responded to the protest by writing on his blog. "The sentiments of all must be respected and I hope that we can plan and execute that with understanding, peace and grace."
But could filmmaker Mani Ratnam's decision not to premiere his Abhishek and Aishwraya starrer Raavan at the IIFA awards been influenced by the wave of protests since several members of the Tamil film fraternity like Rajnikanth, Kamal Hassan, Surya too have declined to participate in the event.
Muthamital, the filmmaker who sensitively depicted the civil conflict in Sri Lanka in Kannathil said, "We are not going. The film is still not yet ready. We are still working on the background score of the film. The film will be ready till June. We are not going, the film is not going."
So, will the IIFA, the annual Bachchan break with the film fraternity lose some of its luster?