Don't turn men into gods, Vijay tells fans

Actor Vijay has made an emotional appeal to his fans asking them not to depict him as a god in any of the posters that they put up.

The actor's appeal comes in the wake of certain sections of the media criticising him for the acts of his fans who had, during the audio release function of his film 'Velayudham' at Madurai, put up posters depicting him as the almighty.

Responding to certain claims made in a particular report that had appeared in a bi-weekly, the actor said, "Recently, the audio of my film 'Velayudham' was launched at a function in Madurai amidst much fanfare. During the function, several gifts were given away to the poor and the socially disadvantaged people by my Makkal Iyakkam. Prior to the function, some of my fans, due to the enormous amount of love they have for me, had put up posters at the venue that depicted me as god. However, the moment, I saw such posters, I called my fans and told them that such posters must not be put up henceforth. I also asked them to remove immediately any posters that they had already put up. My fans too obliged."

The actor said that although the issue had come to an end then and there, certain people were looking to turn the issue into a "poisonous one".

He said, "I am someone who looks beyond factors such as caste, creed and religion and values human beings for what they are. At the function in Madurai, I donated over 40 computers to students. I also gifted cows and tailoring machines to the poor. Apart from these presents, I am also sponsoring the education of 1,000 students in the state. I don't know the caste, community or religion of these beneficiaries. There are over 50 people who work for me. I don't know their caste, community or religious details as well. The same applies for the scores of fans I have across the state. All that I know is the Tamilian community."

"In such a scenario, I reiterate this request to all my fans — do not put up posters that depict or compare me with gods. I also wish to point out that I will take severe action against any such individual found indulging in such activities henceforth."