'Maaveran Kittu' not based on LTTE leader: director

Filmmaker Suseenthiran says his new Tamil film "Maaveran Kittu", officially launched on Friday, is not based on the life of an LTTE leader who committed suicide in 1993.

"It is not about the LTTE leader Kittu or the Sri Lankan war. This film is about a brave man who fought for the rights of Tamils during the 1980s. It is based on a true story," Suseenthiran told IANS.

Starring Vishnu Vishal, who has teamed up for a third time with Suseenthiran, the film also features Sri Divya. Actor-filmmaker R. Parthepan and Soori are part of the cast.

Sathasivan Krishnakumar alias Kittu was a former military commander of Jaffna for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and was a childhood friend of the group's leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Having escaped an assassination attempt in March 1987, Kittu committed suicide in January 1993 atop a weapons-laden ship after it was surrounded by Indian naval ships which asked him to surrender.

The Sri Lankan military killed Prabhakaran and crushed the LTTE in 2009.

"Maaveran Kittu's" regular shooting has begun in Pazhani, Tamil Nadu.

--IANS

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