Copy to Clipboard (ARRAY) Set in Sri Lanka during the 1970s and 1980s, 'Funny Boy' explores the sexual awakening of its young protagonist Arjun "Arjie" Chelvaratnam as political tensions escalate in the country between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalese. Even though the film is Canadaâs 2021 Academy Awards entry for Best International Feature Film, the controversy around casting has dogged 'Funny Boy'. The main cast playing Tamil characters are mostly Sinhalese (Sri Lankaâs majority population) and North Indian -- which has evoked protests from the Tamil diaspora who have complained of 'cultural erasure'. In the earlier screenings of the film, it was pointed out by critics that several cast members do not speak Tamil properly and haven't got the accented Colombo English quite right.