DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Wednesday made a plea for banning the film ‘Dam-999', saying its release would disrupt the peaceful co-existence of Tamils and Malayalees in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and lead to law and order problems.
“The Centre, the State government and those who are in the film world should think about the consequences of the release of the film and take an appropriate decision,” Mr. Karunanidhi said in a statement.
He said that when the case on the Mullaperiyar dam was pending in the Supreme Court, some people had produced a film on the likely outcome of the breach of the dam. The title of the film had been selected with ulterior motives.
Mr. Karunanidhi wanted to know why the State government failed to express objections to the film when the controversy had come up for discussion in Parliament.
Keywords: Mullaperiyar dam, Dam-999, film
no body on earth has the right to play with lives of 40 lakhs people, living around mullaperiyar dam. If 'dam999' is giving awareness to people, what is wrong with it..which no politicians could do for the past 10 years. Tamil Nadu many have much to be benefited.. but not at the peril of 40 lakhs lives. PM should actively consider this and pitch in to solve it at the earliest..on highest priority...as no disaster management can cope up with such a situation,if it happens. Prevention is better than cure...that we all know.
Even if the producer has dealt with the issue of MUllaiperiyar, its
banning is unconstitutional. Further, the banning and the public
protests will only detract from the main issue and the victim may be TN;
banning the film has not by even an inch advanced its case.
COnceded that the Mullaiperiyar river has raised issues beteemn two
states and the matter is under litigation. Even so, it is somewhat of
an extreme step to ban the film -solely because of the competitive
politics being played by both the political parties. We are becoming
intolerable fanatics. Worldover there is a movement against dams
causing havoc not only to regional ecology but also uroooting people
and instead of avoiding floods, they create mroe. Even so, it is
despicable that a film should have been banned. It is now left to
our apex court to adjudicate and uphold the constituional rights
guarnteed for people to express themselves. The point commented above
that The Hindu is sufficiently not alarmed and vocal abaout the
infringement of peoples; rights is a valid one.
The politicians are not bothered about the people they are just bothered about vote, suitcase & Swiss bank account. Rest is just time pass
Why does politicians think common people are fools to be always given advice on what films to watch and which book to read?? In this digital age your ban will go for a six Mr Karunanidhi. All the policing in this world has not been able to curb piracy and you talk of banning a film which after all is just one point of view. If you feel so much about the issue please use some of the money you have collected over the years to make another film showing how wonderful the dam is and how it is built to last 999 years. You can name it 'Dam it 999'!
So sad, newspapers like The Hindu sit quietly while the freedom of speech of the average citizen is thrown under the proverbial bus. If you don't like the content of the film, I've got a suggestion for you; don't watch it.
Seems to me that only politicians have the right for free speech in this country. The rest of the citizens should only listen to what the politicians want us to hear. I just want to say "leave us alone. we will decide what is good and what is bad"
There will always people who will object to development - I guess
these type of people would have been happy had we all still lived in
caves and ran about with stone age weapons to hunt a dear.
It is a sad state of affair when two states within the same country
fight for control over the water that belongs the everyone. I wonder
why the government of India has not yet undertaken the inter-linking
of rivers project which can be implemented in a step wise procedure
(rather than in a single stage as the cost involved with such a
project is quite high) - if China is able to do it then why can we ?
When a keralite make a film on the consequences of the breach of the dam, tamilians can make a film on the advantages of the Dam?
My admirations rise again with another feather in the cap of the Malayalam film world, which is not very glamorous, not infested with cooperate mongers, which does not churn reel after reel the same swan song of love-violence formula and which is not bent on making the people educated fools as with Kollywood.Leaving aside the debate on Mullaiperiyar dam the choice of subject by the director speaks for his social consciousness. A subject under dispute for years and a pickel for the Political parties but a serious issue of the public was never taken to the people except for certain NGOs. Even the protests by some politicians had vested interested to it. A man who has truly understood the nature of mass media.
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