{"id":15715,"date":"2013-02-01T16:12:24","date_gmt":"2013-02-01T21:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=15715"},"modified":"2013-02-01T16:12:24","modified_gmt":"2013-02-01T21:12:24","slug":"why-should-sri-lanka-follow-jayalalithaa-and-ban-kamal-haasans-vishwaroopam-in-this-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=15715","title":{"rendered":"Why Should Sri Lanka Follow Jayalalithaa and Ban Kamal Haasan’s “Vishwaroopam” in this Country?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By
\nLucian Rajakarunanayake<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The spirit of India is written in stone” \u2013 President Pranab Mukherjee on the eve of the 64th Indian Republic Day \u2013 January 25, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m a Muslim Indian and I\u2019m with Kamal Hasaan”, is the heading given by well known Indian blogger Mohd Asim, to his January 30 piece on the moves to ban Kamal Hasaan\u2019s latest film “Vishwaroopam” by the Tamil Nadu authorities.<\/p>\n

This is how the blog begins: “I have not yet seen Kamal Hasaan\u2019s Vishwaroopam. I was waiting for its release since the promos went on air. I like Hasaan films. They generally make a political statement. Today, I am all the more eager to watch the movie after the unfortunate controversy and bad publicity over the last week”.<\/p>\n

I share his thinking, and I am sure they are many more, including Muslims too, who would like to see Vishwaroopam, unless they are like those pro- Jayalalithaa political catchers and some Muslims in Tamil Nadu, and other Muslims here in Sri Lanka too, who think it should be banned. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Asim\u2019s blog has another interesting comment. “The Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazagham (TMMK) President, M. H. Jawahirulla, who watched a special screening of Vishwaroopam, declared that the film was anti-Muslims. No, he actually said it was anti-Tamil Muslims and also anti-Indian Muslims. His logic: the one-eyed villain in the movie, modelled on Taliban chief Mullah Omar, speaks Tamil. What other language is a character in a Tamil film supposed to speak? And what’s wrong with showing a terrorist in a film on international terrorism?”<\/p>\n

It would be interesting to know from those who have seen Vishwaroopam and advised the government to ban it, whether they had seen any such barbaric idea propagated by Kamal Hasaan in the film.<\/p>\n

From what one reads about the film it has a story with an international backdrop, involving aspects of conspiracy, western intelligence and linking the operations of the Taliban located in Afghanistan. It is no secret that the Taliban hit the headlines so often, being marked for their barbarism. How does one make out that depicting the violence and brutality of the Taliban in any way points accusing fingers about barbarism, hatred or notoriety about the Muslims anywhere who have no truck with their politics of terror and violence?<\/p>\n

An interesting issue that arises is what would happen to a film to a good feature or documentary film made of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban? Will there be a demand for its ban in Sri Lanka because it affects Muslim sensibilities by depicting them as barbarians, or deeply hurt the sensitivities of Buddhists, or hurt both? <\/p>\n

Are we coming to a situation when, in the coming weeks, the Government is to be told that Sri Lanka should not carry out the United Nations requirement to ratify the ban on al Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist organizations, because doing so would affect a section of Sri Lankan society, that shares a common faith, which regrettably is distorted by al Qaeda and the Taliban perpetrators of terror?<\/p>\n

What is being ignored or even covered up by those who have offered these “reasons” to make the government to ban Vishwaroopam in Sri Lanka, is that it is banned, apparently in violation of the law, only in Tamil Nadu. It is shown in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, where the Tamil Muslims and other Muslims have not raised any questions, and very soon the Hindi and other language versions will be screened in other parts of India, too. <\/p>\n

There are enough Muslims in India, from film personalities to politicians and other social leaders who have openly supported the film and come out strongly against the hasty, temporary, and what appears to be its illegal ban in Tamil Nadu. <\/p>\n

The question that arises today is why film censorship in Sri Lanka should hang on to the narrow and divisive politics of Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu? It is openly mentioned in the Indian media today that part of the reason for the attack of Kamal Hasaan, through the ban on Vishwaroopam, is because he had at a recent public gathering stated that would be good for the next prime minister of India to be a “verti clad” person from Tamil Nadu. This was a clear reference to Finance Minister Chidambaram, and a blow to the Jayalalithaa campaign to have a “sari clad” prime minister from the same state. There is also much open speculation that the ban on Vishwaroopam is also because the TV rights for its Direct to Home release did not go to Jaya TV that supports Jayalalithaa, but was bagged by a rival channel. <\/p>\n

With these appearing to be the actual grounds on which the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazagham (TMMK) called for a ban on the film, with the Tamil Nadu state authorities claiming it was for public security, should there not be some re-thinking on the ban in Sri Lanka, possibly when the Supreme Court of India rules on the petition being filed against the ban by Kamal Hasaan, hopefully revoking the ban? <\/p>\n

To quote from Mohd Asim\u2019s blog again: “It will be in order to mention that the TMMK is an ally of Jaya’s AIADMK. But never mind. Even if, all considered, I did take the TMMK chief’s word for it – who has given him the right to decide for me? It’s for every one of us, the moviegoers, to see the film and decide for ourselves if it is a good film or a bad film. Well, many people hate so many films. If Vishwaroopam fails to impress the people or rubs one section of people the wrong way, so be it. But let it have its life at the box office.”<\/p>\n

Also let us have the right to see the films that we would like to, instead of being deprived of our entertainment by those who seem to believe that depiction on the screen of the ruthless terror of the Taliban, would anyway hurt the sensitivities of the genuine, peace loving Muslims of this country, and with similar situations involving believers in other faiths too. <\/p>\n

“If there is no secular state in India, I would go overseas. I think Tamil Nadu wants me out. What would change is my passport?” \u2013 Kamal Hasaan said in an emotional outburst on the Tamil Nadu ban on his film. <\/p>\n

One hopes Hasaan will remain in India and continue to produce good films for Indian and world audiences, which we can also see if we wish to. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s hope the stone on which Spirit of India is writ is not crumbling in Tamil Nadu. <\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lucian Rajakarunanayake “The spirit of India is written in stone” \u2013 President Pranab Mukherjee on the eve of the 64th Indian Republic Day \u2013 January 25, 2013 “I\u2019m a Muslim Indian and I\u2019m with Kamal Hasaan”, is the heading given by well known Indian blogger Mohd Asim, to his January 30 piece on the …<\/p>\n

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