It is no secret that the entertainers, be it from the Bollywood or any other industry for that matter, are one of the most selfish people around who only care for the box office collections of their film. After Kollywood superstar Vijay met Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami over the release of his upcoming film, the state government allowed 100 per cent occupancies in cinema halls as if the Wuhan-originated coronavirus pandemic was a thing of the past. Enraged by this decision, a Tamil Nadu doctor has written an open letter to Vijay and the government of the state, highlighting the plight of the frontline workers in the state and how they are “tired”.
Aravinth Srinivas who is, reportedly, a junior resident at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, wrote an open letter to actors Vijay and Silambarasan and the Tamil Nadu government as he pointed out how the frontline workers including him, including police officials and sanitary workers, are tired.
Srinivas stated that they had to work hard on the ground level to minimise the damage caused by coronavirus and hence, deserve some time to breathe and not “fall prey to someone’s selfishness and greed.”
He labelled the move to allow 100 per cent occupancy in cinema halls amid coronavirus as a “suicide attempt.” Pointing out the selfishness of both the actors and the politicians in Tamil Nadu, he added that the decision can be read as “homicide” as the two of the biggest proponents of the move – the actors and the politicians are anyways not going to risk their lives by watching a movie with the crowd.
“This is a blatant barter system, trading lives for money,” remarked Srinivas. He signed off his open-letter with “Yours Tiredly, a Resident Doctor.”
In a move which reeks of selfishness, actor Vijay met with the Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami urging him to support the release of his upcoming film ‘Master’, which is slated to release later this month by allowing the theatres to operate with full capacity. After the meeting, the Tamil Nadu government allowed cinema halls to operate with full capacity.
At a time when the UK is witnessing an unprecedented surge in the cases of coronavirus, with the US continuing to break new records when it comes to cases and deaths, India is far better placed especially given the population and lack of medical infrastructure in the rural areas. India has so far brilliantly managed to contain the pandemic and we have the frontline workers to thank for ensuring that the virus is not able to spread its deadly wings in India. The Tamil Nadu government must under that social distancing and wearing a mask is a must and no actor or movie is important enough to risk one’s life.