Snip, snip go rival channels in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam family-owned Sun Network and the pro-All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Jaya TV have taken the poll battle to new heights. With a host of film stars joining the AIADMK campaign, Sun does not telecast movies of Simran, Sarath Kumar, Radhika, Kovai Sarala, Vindhya and S Ve Sekar.

Instead the channel, owned by Kalanidhi Maran, grandnephew of DMK president M Karunanidhi and brother of Union minister Dayanidhi Maran, airs movies of director-actor Bhagyaraj, who recently joined the DMK.

Also appearing in some of the Sun channels are song sequences of actor Karthik who, in his new role of the All India Forward Block state general secretary, has become a Jayalalithaa critic. ‘Supreme star’ Sarath Kumar, who left the DMK for AIADMK recently, is on top of Sun’s hate list.

When KTV (a Sun channel) telecast Mammooty-starrer Maunam Sammadham, the entire sequence involving Kumar, who plays a supporting role, was edited out.

Sun has even stopped advertisements of its sister publication and Tamil evening tabloid Tamil Murasu, to prevent inadvertent publicity to murasu (drum), which is actor Vijaykanth’s election symbol. Meanwhile, Jaya TV has been dishing out a virtual MGR film festival.

Fans of the AIADMK founder were treated to Nallavan Vazhvan, Meenavan Nanban and Oorukku Uzhappavan – all specimens of MGR’s careful portrayal of the messiah of the masses. Jaya TV, however, “blundered” when it failed to edit out a song in Nallavan Vazhvan, which was produced when MGR was in DMK.

The song went udayasooriyan ethiril irundhal, ullai thamarai malaratho…(in front of the rising sun, the lotus of one’s heart blooms…).” Udayasooriyan (rising sun) is DMK’s election symbol. “It is distressing to see political interests distorting movies and lyrics,” says P Sudhangan, senior journalist and film critic.

“But all of Tamil Nadu politics have been reduced to that.” MGR himself had done it. When his movie Anbe Vaa was released after his expulsion from DMK and formation of AIADMK in 1972, MGR made sure that the word udayasooriyan was changed to pudhiya sooriyan (new sun) in the song Udayasooriyan Paarvayile, ulagam vizhiththukonda velayile… (When the world woke up to the sight of the rising sun…)