After being targeted by BJP, Mersal star Vijay breaks his silence to thank his fans

Tamil star Vijay, whose latest film 'Mersal' faced opposition from the BJP leaders in the state over its references to GST, on Wednesday thanked those who supported the film.

Chennai, Oct 26: Since the time Tamil film Mersal, starring popular actor Vijay, hit the screens last week, it has been hogging the limelight as leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the removal of scenes from the movie critical of the Narendra Modi government's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Digital India initiatives.

As a part of its attack, the BJP also tried to personally target the film's lead actor Vijay by bringing his "religion" into the whole debate. The BJP alleged that the Tamil star, whose full name is C Joseph Vijay, is a Christian and thus he targeted the Modi government.

After days of silence, finally Vijay spoke on Wednesday to thank all those who supported the 'controversial' film.

In a statement, the actor thanked fans and supporters for standing by him. The movie, in spite of facing the risk of being banned, has become a box office hit.

"There was also some opposition to 'Mersal', which is a hit. As a response to that, my friends from the film world i.e., actors and actresses, directors, bodies like SIAA (South Indian Artistes Association) and TFPC (Tamil Film Producers Council) and popular leaders at national level, state political leaders and political representatives extended big support to me and the 'Mersal' crew," he said in the statement.

"I extend my heartfelt thanks to all those who had made 'Mersal' a grand success and for supporting (it)," he said.

In a scene from the movie, which has since gone viral on social media, Vijay's character brings up the GST and health care in the country.

Senior BJP leader H Raja, a national secretary in the party, state president Tamilisai Soundarajan and Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, had demanded that the makers delete the "incorrect" references to GST from the movie.

The controversy took a communal angle when Raja referred to Vijay, known to his fans by his single name, by his full name, C Joseph Vijay, while criticising the GST mention in the film.

Vijay took a potshot at that by issuing the statement on a letter-head that carried his full name.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, former Union minister P Chidambaram, DMK working president MK Stalin, veteran star Kamal Haasan and a host of Tamil cinema industry representatives had supported the film crew on the issue.

Superstar Rajinikanth had said on Twitter that the film addressed an important issue.

Since its release on October 18, the film has made Rs 200 crore at the box office across the world. The 169-minute film, directed by Atlee, was made with a budget of Rs 130 crore.

OneIndia News