Screening of Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam in Tamil Nadu has been deferred again with the Madras high court today setting aside a single judge’s order giving the green signal for the release even as the actor agreed to delete certain scenes considered offensive by Muslim outfits.
The relief given to the actor by justice K. Venkataraman late last night was shortlived as a division bench comprising Acting chief justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Aruna Jagadeesan quashed it, effectively stalling its release today.
The actor now plans to move an appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court order. The single judge had granted interim stay of operation of the ban order imposed by the state government prohibiting the film’s release across the state after protests by Muslim outfits, who claimed that it showed them in negative light.
The court order came on an appeal by the government against the interim order of the single judge. Even as the judicial proceedings were on today, Haasan said the issue had been “amicably resolved” during his talks with some Muslim leaders, after he agreed to delete “certain scenes and words” relating to the Holy Quran.
“The film is not anti-Indian Muslims and it is pro-Indian Muslims. There is no difference between me and my Muslim brothers,” the actor, who spent nearly Rs 100 crore on the multilingual spy thriller, said. Upset over the hurdles caused by the ban on the release of the movie, Haasan, in an emotional outburst, said Tamil Nadu does not want him to stay in the state and he might seek a “secular” place in the country or overseas.
During the hearing today, advocate general A. Navaneethakrishnan said the single judge had passed the order without taking into account the fact that the petition (of Kamal Haasan) was not maintainable in law.
The AG also said the judge has not considered the ‘important aspect’ that the order passed under Sec 144 cannot be assailed by the petitioner as it was done after elaborate and detailed consideration for maintaining public order, preserving public peace, public safety and communal harmony.