Banned Vishwaroopam gets thumbs-up from Kamal's Muslim fans

Bangalore, Jan 31: The huge banners and cutouts of actor-director Kamal Haasan at Natraj and Urvashi theatres in Bangalore tell the whole story. The multilingual film "Vishwaroopam" might have been banned by Tamil Nadu government, but movie-goers have loved and appreciated the film, wherever it was screened.

Be it an NRI (Non-Resident Indian) residing in New York, US or a Tamilian residing in Bangalore, fans of actor-director Kamal Haasan say the spy-thriller with terrorism as its backdrop is a well-made film and at par with Hollywood standards.

Fans are saddened that the filmmaker is enduring so much difficulty in screening the film in his home state. They say the film shows nothing objectionable about the Muslim community. Vishwaroopam first met resistance from fringe Muslims groups in Tamil Nadu, who said Haasan's film depicts the community in a bad taste.

"I am a Muslim. I have watched the film. Nowhere the film shows anything objectionable about the community. I don't understand why there is so much furore about the film," said Sayeed M, a Bangalore-based busimessman, who is also an ardent fan of Haasan.

Like Sayeed, Pooja P, a college-goer said because of the controversy surrounding the film she went and watched the film.

"It's a great movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Kamal Haasan is a genius. Please don't create unnecessary controversy about him and his film," said Pooja.

Like Pooja, many of Kamal's fans feel that film has suffered at the ends of "petty politics".

Even an emotional Kamal Haasan on Wednesday, Jan 30 spoke of quitting Tamil Nadu and even India if his creative freedom continued to be curtailed under the guise of disrupting religious harmony.

"It happened to M.F. Husain. It will happen to Haasan," he said during an emotive interaction with the media.

The fate of the film still hangs in balance.

Reports further said Haasan may not approach the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court stay order, as had been earlier claimed. The Madras High Court on Wednesday set aside the interim order given by a judge on Tuesday. The film will not be released in the state till February 6.

OneIndia News