Interestingly, the Hindi movie industry, which has played a larger role than any other institution in spreading the ‘national language’ across India, even in regions vehemently opposed to its ‘national’ status and ‘imposition’, is not headquartered in New Delhi. It does not operate from a city in the Hindi belt. It has always thrived in Mumbai (originally Bombay) in Maharashtra; that is why it is nicknamed Bollywood. The Tamil cinema industry originally thrived in a shady locality named Kodambakkam in Chennai and has retained its nickname Kollywood.
 
Only recently, Kollywood had the distinction of Aamir Khan taking up a lead role in ‘Ghajini’, which is reported to have been sold out for more than Rs 90 crores. Directed by the Kollywood director A R Murugadoss, it was originally produced in Tamil with a budget of eight crore rupees. The film based on Hollywood blockbuster ‘Memento’, starred Surya and Nayantara. The elation at ‘Ghajini’ came in the wake of Rajnikant’s Sivaji, turning out to be the biggest success in Indian movie industry, grossing upwards of Rs 100 crore. But the days of élan have proved short-lived and now comes a dubious distinction for Kollywood.
 
The arrest of a small time Kollywood starlet along with her two ‘professional associates’ on March 10 has uncovered a huge racket. Police had arrested them on charges of submitting fake documents to obtain US visas. The arrest was followed two days later by a startling announcement from United States consulate general in Chennai.
 
The announcement said that several bigwigs connected with the South Indian film industry, including noted actors and directors, were among 200 people who have been slapped a lifetime ban on travel to the US. They reportedly helped people acquire US visas through fraudulent means. The consulate’s fraud prevention unit uncovered the racket, in which actors or directors in the South Indian film industry “used their positions to lend credibility to a second unqualified applicant.”
 
The consulate first smelled the scam – a scheme involving a person trying to fly to the US in the garb of a film personality’s associate, assistant or acquaintance – in May 2007. The personalities or their managers, allegedly fudged documents to support the visa applications. Applicants were shown to be the stars’ or directors’ assistants, though they were not associated with the film industry at all. The visa aspirants sometimes paid up to Rs 500,000 rupees to their ‘dalals’ (agents) for the ‘service’. The 200 people, detected to have taken such ‘assistants’ with them, have been banned from travelling to the US. The business visa issued to both has been revoked. David T Hopper, US consul general for South India, said that their real purpose of going to the US was varied. He quipped, “I would rather speculate that they go there to study or work as temporary workers. We have also informed US law enforcing officials and US Immigration authorities about travellers who had entered the country.”
 
A consulate statement said that immigration records available with them showed that most of the people who got visas through the racket are illegally present in the United States. Action against them in the US, including deportation, has not been ruled out. Also, the capability of the consulate to detect such fraud is being ramped up.
 
Does the famous director Shankar – who has the mega blockbuster Sivaji to his credit and is currently busy with the next Rajnikanth-starrer Robot – and popular comedy star Vivek find themselves in the black list? Rumours are rife in Chennai, but Hopper declined to give names or further details of the 200 persons; he cited legal obligations of the US to keep them confidential.