Sony sees no logic in 4 states banning 'Da Vinci Code' film

Chennai, June 2(UNI) Sony Pictures, who are the distributors for Ron Howard directed ''The Davinci Code'', today expressed shock at the ban imposed on the film in Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Nagaland, Meghalaya and suspension for two months by the Tamil Nadu government.

In a press release here stating that the ban was illogical, Sony said the film was released in many parts of India on May 26 with 108 prints across 113 screens, conforming to the requirements of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry and the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC).

None of the States like Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal where the film was released on May 19 have banned the film and neither has there been any violence there, he said.

Besides, no untoward incident or violence has been reported in any state where the film has been running and has had opening week's collection of Rs 4.9 crore, it pointed out.

Pointing out that the film also opened in Kerala today with six prints in English and four in Malayalam, Sony representative Vikramjit Singh said the film was cleared by the Information&Broadcasting Ministry and the Central Board of Film Certification.

He said Minister for Information&Broadcasting Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi saw the film in New Delhi with senior members of the Ministry and the Censor Board panel and senior representatives of the Christian Community and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, invited by the Ministry to give their opinion.

Subsequent to the screening, the Minister for I&B and the CBFC granted the film an ''A'' certificate and deemed it fit for release in India.

In keeping with the Ministry and the Board's requirement a 15 second disclaimer stating that the characters and incidents portrayed and the names herein were fictitious, were also inserted at the beginning and the end of the film, he averred.

The film opened to a huge response of Rs 30 million-gross collections between May 26 and 28, clearly indicating the fact that people have viewed it as pure entertainment, he said.

UNI VV SHB BD1845