Asin's in Sri Lanka!

Asin has always been politically correct throughout her career. She has never been embroiled in any controversies and has assiduously managed to maintain a spotlessly-clean image.



But now, the actress — who has started work on Anees Bazmee’s Ready in Colombo — has been dragged into something which is not her making.Two months ago, the choice of Sri Lanka as a venue for an awards ceremony angered many Tamil supporters in India, who accused the Sri Lankan government of killing Tamil civilians during the conflict between the army and the LTTE last year. The Bollywood stars who took part in the ceremony — Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Vivek Oberoi — were banned by the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC). After the event, the SIFCC and FEFSI immediately swung into action and pulled Hrithik’s Kites out of theatres in Chennai. Ram Gopal Varma was asked to drop Vivek Oberoi from Raktha Charitra if he wanted the Suriya-starrer to release in the state!
Any other Bollywood actress would have gotten away with shooting for a Hindi film in Sri Lanka but not Asin, primarily because she had migrated to Mumbai after doing Tamil films. As Asin is also currently doing Kavalkaran with Vijay in Tamil, the trade bodies and the Nadigar Sangam want action to be taken against her.
Asin, who is currently shooting in Colombo with Salman Khan, told CT in an exclusive interview, “First, let me tell you I had committed to Ready with Salman Khan some time ago. At that time, I did not know where the shooting was to take place. I am just an artiste in the film and I do not have a say on where the film will be shot. That is the call of the producer and director. Though I did express my concern to them when they decided to shoot in Sri Lanka, the final decision rests with them. At the end of the day, I am just doing my work, as a professional.”
The actress says that the Tamil population in Sri Lanka have really supported and encouraged her throughout her career. Says Asin, “I feel that art brings people together and promotes peace. Considering the difficult times that the Tamils in Sri Lanka have been through, I take this as an opportunity to reach out to them and if that brings a smile on their faces, that’s the least that I can do.”
She also pointed out that the Indian cricket team played the Asia cup in Sri Lanka last month and defeated the home team in the finals and walked away with the cup. Now, Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma is on an official state tour of Sri Lanka. Every day, hundreds of tourists from south India come to the island nation in the six flights to Colombo from Chennai.
Asin concluded by saying, “I would leave politics to politicians. I am just an artiste and not a politician. I would not like to be dragged into any controversy. Please understand that I am here to do my job.”