Patriotism isn’t just about standing up for the national anthem

From Sevagan and Jai Hindi to Vana Yuddham and his recent Nibunan, Arjun has played a cop in many of his films. And patriotism is a common theme in most of the films that he has directed. The Action King, who was born on August 15, even has a tattoo of the Indian national flag on his arm.
Given that there is violence that is being perpetrated in the name of nationalism and patriotism today, quiz Arjun how he defines patriotism and he says, “Patriotism isn’t just about standing up for the national anthem.You should first start loving your place. Keeping your road clean is also an act of patriotism. So, it should start from home. Rather than talk about your language, your state and all that, we need to start thinking that we are living in the same nation and start loving people. Nobody is perfect. There will be wrongs, but you should love your family, your neighbours, your street, your city, your country, and respect people.”
He feels that patriotism as theme still holds relevance in films, despite all the negativity that has seeped into this term of late. “People are very intelligent. They can sense it if you are forcefully introducing something into your film just to impress them. They also know when someone is talking about something sincerely. As for me, instead of making a commercial film that has a few fights and songs, I want my audience to think of a social cause when they leave the theatre,” he says.