Jeyamohan's controversial Manjummel Boys review divides social media
Jeyamohan faces backlash over his sweeping statements against Malayali people, in his Manjummel Boys review, a community generally considered more evolved compared to those from other states.
Mar 11, 2024
Jeyamohan takes a stand against Manjummel Boys.
Popular Tamil writer B. Jeyamohan has sparked a massive controversy with his strong criticism of the latest Malayalam hit, Manjummel Boys . He expressed profound reservations about the film, alleging that it glorifies negative traits of Malayali men, whom he accused of being "drunk scoundrels."
Jeyamohan slams Manjummel Boys
Jeyamohan claimed that, although typically he avoids reviewing films, he felt compelled to discuss Manjummel Boys as the author of the book "Yaanai Doctor" (The Elephant Doctor). The book draws inspiration from stories depicting how elephants often succumb to foot injuries caused by broken alcohol bottles in jungle areas, allegedly attributed to the actions of inebriated Malayali men.
ALSO READ: Kamal Haasan sowed the seed, so Manjummel Boys could eat the fruits 30 years later
Jeyamohan criticized Manjummel Boys for celebrating the problematic behavior of Malayali tourists. The applause from Tamil audiences seemed to exacerbate Jeyamohan's displeasure with the film.
Using derogatory terms such as "porikkis" to describe the uncivilized conduct of Malayali men, Jeyamohan argued that films like Manjummel Boys contribute to normalizing excessive drinking and discourteous behavior among native men from Kerala. He further alleged that these individuals intentionally harm wild animals, trespass into forest areas, and contribute to the risk of forest fires by discarding cigarettes and bidis.
Jeyamohan called for stringent action against such unruly tourists, likening their actions to criminal behavior. He even expressed a wish that groups like these should encounter dangerous situations, as depicted in the movie, leading to their death. According to him, this would serve as both a punishment from nature and a means of safeguarding the forests.
Jeyamohan's blog sparks outrage
The controversy has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many criticizing Jeyamohan for making sweeping statements against Malayali people, a community generally considered more evolved and progressive compared to those from other states.
ALSO READ: Decoding how Manjummel Boys took over Tamil Nadu box office and saved cinemas
"Using certain individual instances of wayward behaviour to tarnish one entire community and generate hate against them - that’s how hate speeches work. Writer Jeyamohan has exactly done that with his malicious blog post on #ManjummelBoys," said journalist Manu Sebastian reacting to Jeyamohan's controversial blog post.
"what #Jeyamohan has said about our neighbour Keralites is utter nonsense and full of #racist vengeance as if our Tamil people don't consume alcohol and he has never seen the exaggeration of such a character in our Tamil film this kinda venom shows his true character," opined another social media user.
"Hereafter, while going on a tour, young people should take a dozen literary books written by Jeyamohan and do a comprehensive analysis of them. Instead of cigarettes and alcohol, they should carry other things required to write a novel. #Jayamohanattrocities #ManjummelBoys," said another user.
Meanwhile, there are social media users who find merit in Jeyamohan's perspective.
"I recall seeing someone else express similar disgust too after watching the film recently - they liked the survival thriller aspects but went on to say that they felt the 'boys' perhaps deserved what they got for their boorish behavior. Jeyamohan's write-up possibly generalizes this behavior to 'Malayalee men' in a sweeping narrative and goes on to allege that Kerala normalizes drinking and such behavior in general," said Karthik.
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