Centre rushes to Kamal Haasan's aid, says nothing objectionable in 'Vishwaroopam'

     On a day when the Tamil Nadu government told the Madras high court that Kamal Haasan's 'Vishwaroopam' will endanger lives, damage public properties and breach peace in Tamil Nadu, the Centre rushed to the actor's aid saying there is nothing objectionable in the film.

     Additional solicitor general for south India P Wilson told Justice K Venkataraman on Tuesday that 'Vishwaroopam' had no words or visuals which could hurt sentiments of any community.

     Justifying the censor clearance for the film, he said all mandatory requirements of the Cinematograph Act and its rules had been complied with by the censor board, which issued censor certificate to the film on October 17, 2012.

     Noting that the state government's prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of CrPC against the film were untenable, Wilson said those orders tended to curb and curtail the powers of the central government.

 

     Earlier, Tamil Nadu advocate general A Navaneeakrishnan claimed that the film had not been duly certified by the censor authorities in accordance with law. Standing by the government authorities' decision to defer release of the film, Navaneethakrishnan said film certification by censor authorities was a big scam requiring full-fledged probe by a special committee. Producers of 'Vishwaroopam' have not come to the court with clean hands, and they do not have any enforceable legal right to demand its release, he said.

     Additional advocate general P H Aravindh Pandian said the authorities' apprehension of law and order problem is real and present, and that it was an emergent situation which warranted maintenance of public tranquility, public order and harmony.

     Kamal's senior counsel, P S Raman, made an impassioned plea that the Tamil superstar had invested his life time savings in the film, and that any further delay in its release will sullen the actor. To call it a total ruination (of the actor) is no exaggeration, he said.

     Pointing out that all 31 district collectors in Tamil Nadu passed identifcal orders, citing representations from some organisations and some intelligence inputs, to prohibit its screening in districts, Raman said it was a concerted effort by the state government to stall 'Vishwaroopam'. Either it was based on a general instruction from the government, or there is a constitutional crisis in Tamil Nadu, where all the district collectors felt they could not enforce law and order in their jurisdiction.

     Raman also asked whether the protesting organisations will deposit Rs 100 crore in the crore, in lieu of the risk Kamal had been exposed to.

     A Sankarasubbu, counsel for the Muslim organisations, said the whole film needed to be banned for its poor portrayal of Muslims.

Tags : Muslim organisations, Kamal Haasan, Vishwaroopam, Madras high court, Cinematograph Act, community,

Thanks to TIMES OF INDIA.