Chennai:
Close to a hundred speeches on their emotional ties with Sri Lankan Tamils and a donation of 45 lakh rupees towards a relief fund. That's what this 8-hour token fast in Chennai by the Tamil Film Industry resulted in.
Sarath Kumar, president South Indian Film Artists Association, said: ",The TN Govt must ensure that the money and relief materials reach the right and deserving people through the right channels.",
Unlike protests in the past over the Cauvery and Hogenakkal water sharing disputes, there were no fiery speeches this time around. That's because the Stars themselves decided to play Censor.
This is after some of them burnt their fingers in the recent past. Like Rajinikanth who had to pacify angry pro Kannada groups for his speech during the Hogenakkal fast, in order to have his film ''Kuselan", released in Karnataka. Or Directors Ameer and Seeman who were recently arrested for pro LTTE speeches in Rameshwaram. Rajinikanth came up with an emotional plea to end the war in Sri Lanka.
",For 30 to 35 years, the Sinhalese have not been able to win the war against the Tamils. Then what sort of warriors are they? Are they man enough? Not just in Sri Lanka, anywhere in the world, the curse of innocent people, women and children will not let any nation prosper,", said Rajinikanth.
A politically correct stance in a State where everyone is keen to emerge as champions of the Tamil cause.