Tamil actor-producer Suriya's Jai Bhim released under his 2D Entertainment banner and directed by T. J. Gnanavel premiered directly on Amazon Prime Video on November 2. The courtroom drama film has since been in the midst of a number of controversies with the Tamil Nadu political party Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the Vanniyar Sangam after a scene featured a calendar with the photo of 'Agni Kundam', the symbol that represents their community. A legal notice was also sent to Suriya, Jyotika and Jai Bhim director T. J. Gnanavel citing the scene in Jai Bhim had hurt the sentiments of the people of their community. 

With the controversy surrounding Jai Bhim still ongoing, director T. J. Gnanavel issued a statement on Sunday, November 21, expressing his regret over the incident and asserted that the intention of the film was to bring to light the injustices meted out to the people in the tribal community. Gnavavel said, "Had we noticed the inclusion of the symbol, we would have removed it before the film's release. When the film released on Amazon Prime Video on the midnight of November 1, many had pointed out the calendar in the scene. Before even the controversy erupted, we began taking steps to ensure the symbol and the calendar would be removed from the scene. I thought the people would realize our intention when we made the changes. As a filmmaker, it is my responsibility and I feel it is unfair for me to ask Suriya to take accountability for this controversy. As a producer and actor, Suriya had portrayed the role in an effort to bring to light the troubles faced by the tribal community. I extend my apologies to him for all the problems he has been put through."

Below is director T. J. Gnanavel's statement in full in regard to the Jai Bhim controversy: