An event to honor the technicians of Kuselan financially, as promised by Rajini during the movie’s audio launch, was held today at the Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam. A total of Rs. 40 lakhs was distributed among the technicians, of which the superstar contributed Rs. 20 lakhs and the producers, the rest.Addressing the occasion, Rajini announced that the financial assistance would continue in his future movies as well. He said that this has been discussed with Shankar, with whom he is working next, and his daughter Soundarya.He also explained his stand in the apology issue and stated that the whole issue was a lesson for him. “Had I mentioned that my remarks on the Kannadigas do not apply for people in Karnataka in general and only to the miscreants, this issue wouldn’t have cropped up,” Rajini clarified.
K. Balachander, who also attended, spoke in the event and remarked that the issue was blown out of proportion unnecessarily. “I have been watching the issue for some time now and did not comment on it since I did not want to add fuel to the fire. In my opinion, Rajini did not apologize and has only expressed regret over the issue,” KB added.He also mentioned that since Rajini’s life is closely intertwined with the producers and people, it became necessary for him to issue such a statement. “Apologizing and expressing regret are two different things. I would appeal to friends of Tamil cinema not to build a dividing wall inside the community by raising such issues. Let the bygones be bygones,” he stated.
KB added that at a time when Tamil talent is being receiving nationwide recognition, especially in Bollywood, it is essential that Tamil cinema maintains its unity.
