The wise say that a man’s true nature stands revealed at a time of crisis. At the daylong fast observed last month by Kollywood actors to support the cause of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka, stars gathered for a common cause, pledging their solidarity and donating money to better the plight of their victimised brethren in the strife-torn island nation.

Right from about 8AM to 4 in the evening when the stars ended the fast, the day was marked by a steady stream of speakers. In order to avoid controversies, the South Indian Film Artistes’ Association had already issued a strict speech protocol to be adhered to: no speaker was allowed to criticise the Sri Lankan government or support the LTTE. They were also forbidden from making accusatory remarks about the central and state governments in India.

Despite these limitations, the token fast offered a curious insight into the personalities of the stars who spoke on the occasion. Weighed down by these warnings, what would have normally been an opinionated, strong-voiced session became a politically correct set of cautious remarks. Nevertheless, a handful of speakers stood out for the novelty they infused into their brief tryst with the microphone that day, while the rest sounded quite reserved with their opinions. The lesser known actors/directors like Rajan (who??) just rambled on incoherently. Here are a few dominant personality traits we gleaned from just hearing these celluloid heavyweights talk on stage

SJ Suryah We know what you are thinking – hey, isn’t he the guy who does all those obscene scenes and gestures in his films? Yep, that’s the guy. But we have to compliment him on his clarity of thought. SJ Suryah called upon each member gathered there to adopt one suffering Sri Lankan Tamil family and treat them as their own. However he also went over the top with his far-flung ideas: “Why not welcome Lankan Tamils to our state and create seperate Eelams for them like Eelam Salem, Eelam Madurai etc.?” Duh?!?