LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's life to be made into web series amid Family Man 2 row

Prominent South Indian film director and producer AMR Ramesh, whose films are widely regarded in the Kannada film industry-where he primarily works- for his realistic plotlines and sensational storytelling, has announced that he will shoot a film on Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.

The project originally titled The Human Bomb has now been rechristened as LTTE and will be a web series with multiple seasons expected. Intended as a movie initially has now been turned into a web series to do justice to the complex story and characters.

The cult filmmaker is reportedly in the completion stage of his web series on forest brigand and Sandalwood mafia boss Veerappan. Following the completion of this show, it is expected that he would jump right into his next project, reportedly based on LTTE and in particular the terrorist organisation's chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's life and death. 

Details of AMR Ramesh's LTTE

According to reports, Director Ramesh has worked on the script for over two years and has also researched on the vast topic with intelligence officers, RAW agents, and people associated with LTTE then in both India and Sri Lanka to develop a story that could trigger a wide range of emotions for the audience. Ramesh explained in a media briefing that with the present situation brought by COVID-19, the show would do better OTT platforms and could gain much more traction as a web series instead.

Rana Daggubati has reportedly come on board to back the project and has even stated his intention to title the project LTTE for its international appeal. The director has revealed that the first season will focus on the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, while the following seasons will shed light on the rise and fall of Prabhakaran. The team is currently looking to cast popular Tollywood star Venkatesh to portray the role of IPS officer Karthikeyan who headed the special investigation team (SIT) that probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Rana will also be essaying a pivotal role in the series, added director Ramesh, explaining that the hunt is on to rope in big names nationally to pay key roles of vital importance. The series will be multilingual and will be shot in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Telugu as well.

AMR Ramesh's filmography

The director rose to popularity after his second venture 'Cynaide' in 2006 and has in total directed six films in Kannada and Tamil. Ramesh is currently under media scanner regarding his latest biopic starring Kishore. It is based on forest brigand Veerappan who is famous for having terrorised the three southern states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by smuggling sandalwoods and ivory and later kidnapping Kannada star Dr Rajkumar.

Other controversies surrounding LTTE in pop culture

Recently, makers of The Family Man 2 were widely criticised online for their alleged inaccurate and insensitive portrayal of LTTE soldiers. The show's trailer kicked up a flurry of uproar from the audience and politicians alike in Tamil Nadu, with several leading yesteryear celebrities calling for the ban of the show and an unconditional apology from the cast and crew. However, the show continues to be aired on Amazon Prime unrestricted and its leading cast including Manoj Bajpai, Samantha Akkineni and Priyamani have received glowing reviews for their stoic performances.

Who is Velupillai Prabhakaran?

Velupillai Prabhakaran was a Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla and the founder and chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), termed as a terrorist organisation that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka. The LTTE waged war in Sri Lanka for more than 25 years, to create an independent state for the Sri Lankan Tamil people.

What is LTTE?

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or more commonly referred to as Tamil Tigers was branded as a Tamil terrorist organisation in Sri Lanka that fought to secure an independent state of Tamil Eelam in the north of Sri Lanka, in response to discriminatory state policies that allegedly targeted the Tamil population in the tiny island nation. LTTE initially started out as a guerrilla force and increased its capability quickly, masterminding a conventional fighting force with a well-developed military wing that included a Navy, an Air Force, an intelligence wing, and a specialised suicide attack unit as well, which caused the death of late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.