Prominent personalities of the Telugu film industry, which makes the highest number of movies after Bollywood, on Wednesday voiced their unequivocal support to Kamal Haasan and said once ‘Vishwaroopam’ was certified by the Censor Board, it was the duty of the State to protect the filmmaker who held the rights.
‘Nothing offensive’
Akkineni Nagarjuna, one of Telugu tinseltown’s most successful stars said, “Art is all about creativity. I have known Kamal Haasan for a long time and am also a fan of his.
He is a serious film-maker who would not ever do anything to hurt the sentiments of any community or disturb communal harmony. I saw a few clips from the film when I met him two months ago here in Hyderabad and I saw nothing offensive.”
When asked about how it felt when a film’s screening was withheld, he said, “I know the mental agony it entails and my heart goes out to Mr. Kamal Haasan and his statement today expressing his disappointment is disturbing. It will also have its impact on others who make good films, because they will start thinking.”
Producer D. Suresh Babu, Managing Director of Suresh Productions, said what was happening to the much-awaited film was very unfair. “Once censored, it is the duty of the State to protect the right holder. It has been screened in so many places in other States and there has been absolutely no law and order problem. It is frustrating to see that it is not being screened in Tamil Nadu, when it is running successfully in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.”
Having known Haasan for over 35 years, Mr. Suresh said; “Kamal loves cinema more than anything else and he is one of India’s most talented film personalities. The film industry must fight for him and for art’s sake, he must get his due.”
Art form alone
Brahmanandam, an actor whose very appearance is synonymous with humour and who has done over 900 films in a career spanning two and a half decades, said that no matter what the problem is cinema should be looked at as art.
