After the makers of Sarkar deleted/ muted “objectionable” scenes on Friday, the AIADMK government said it was not against any movie that was critical of governments but was not in favour of scenes in Sarkar that made references to their late leader Jayalalithaa and the various freebies doled out by her government.
Speaking to reporters at Greenways Road after consultations with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Minister for Information and Publicity Kadambur Raju said he had personally spoken to actor Vijay about removing a few specific scenes after watching the movie at Kovilpatti on the first day, as it could create controversy.
The Minister said there would be no more protests against the movie as it had been recertified with four changes, including muting of the name “Komala” from the female villain’s name who would now be referred to just as “Valli”.
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Mr. Raju said he spoke to Mr. Vijay regarding the scenes after watching the movie, as lot of people were expressing their disappointment over the use of Jayalalithaa’s name and the scenes where freebies were burnt.
The Minister said he had told Mr. Vijay, “You are a big star…The producers Sun Pictures have included these scenes with an ulterior motive. This is not good for you. You should speak to the makers and get it removed or the government will take efforts to get them removed.”
When the makers of the film approached the government to hold a special early morning show, the government acceded to the request even though Sun Pictures — owned by Kalanithi Maran — had produced the movie, he added.
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‘Issue was resolved’
“Even during Mersal , when the film faced a problem, Vijay and director Atlee approached us for a resolution and we ensured that the issue was resolved and helped the movie release as per its schedule,” he said.
When asked why a film should be re-certified when the Censor Board had already cleared it, Mr. Raju said the party cadre were upset over the use of Jayalalithaa’s (presumed) maiden name.
Mr. Raju also listed out various measures taken by the government for the film industry over the past years, including holding a grand celebration for the 100th year of Indian Cinema.
He further said that since changes had now been made, there would be no protests. “We no longer have any opposition to the movie. We have nothing against Vijay as well,” he said.
He said it would be better if the CBFC had a regional representative while clearing films. Senior AIADMK leader and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M. Thambi Durai, meanwhile, criticised the CBFC, saying that it had not acted properly. “Why didn’t they remove these scenes earlier itself?” he asked.
Producers clarify
In a press release, Sun Pictures, producers of actor Vijay’s Sarkar , said: The ruling party cadre protested against the theatres screening Sarkar against few scenes and damaged property. Since the distributors and exhibitors requested us to remove certain scenes to guarantee safety of the audience and property of the theatres, we have decided to remove the scenes deemed to be controversial.