Actor Vijay on Sunday appealed to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to do “whatever was required” to ensure the release of his film ‘Thalaivaa’. However he did not state exactly what his demands were.
In a statement, actor Vijay profusely appreciated Ms. Jayalalithaa’s rule, saying he always admired her straight-forwardness. He also appreciated the efforts taken by his fans’ club and the police in curbing the video piracy of the film in Salem by identifying some video pirates.
Meanwhile, Twitter was abuzz on Sunday with the actor’s fans urging people not to encourage pirated versions of the movie and to wait for its release. But, there was no clear reason from either the producers or the lead actor as to exactly why the blockbuster movie has not been released in the State alone, whereas it had a bumper opening weekend elsewhere in the country and overseas.
The only roadblock to the film’s release seems to have been the rejection of its application with the government for exemption from entertainment tax. Most producers look forward to the tax exemption, especially if big budgets are involved, say industry insiders. But the film’s producers have already said that was not the reason.The State police have already debunked the theory that the movie could have been stalled because of threats from unknown fringe groups targeting the film’s producers, saying the responsibility for its release lay with its producers and distributors. This put paid to any attempt to compare the delay in Thalaivaa’s release with the problems faced by Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vishwaroopam’. The government had then mediated between some Muslim groups and the film’s producers.
