Johnson Cherian.
Kamal Haasan on October 20 threw his weight behind the makers of Vijay-starrer Mersal, asking those opposing the just-released Tamil movie over references to the GST to “counter criticism with logical response”.
In a Twitter post, Mr. Haasan said: “Mersal was certified. Don’t re-censor it.”
“Counter criticism with logical response. Don’t silence critics. India will shine when it speaks,” he said.
Mr. Haasan had a few years ago threatened to leave India in wake of protests against his film Vishwaroopam.
References to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Mersal have not gone down well with the BJP. The party objected to what it termed “untruths” about the central taxation regime in the film and demanded that the references be deleted.
Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan demanded the removal of the “untruths” about the GST, rolled out by the BJP-led NDA government on July 1, while his party colleague H. Raja claimed the film exposed Mr. Vijay’s “anti-Modi hatred”.
“The film producer should remove the untruths regarding the GST from the film,” Mr. Radhakrishnan told reporters in Nagercoil. His remarks came a day after the BJP’s State unit made a similar demand, charging the film’s crew with making “incorrect references” about the central taxation regime.
Earlier on October 20, Pa. Ranjith, who directed Rajinikanth-starrer Kabali, came to the defence of the Mersal crew, questioning the BJP’s logic of demanding the cuts. Mr. Ranjith said there was no need for removing the scenes on GST as demanded by the BJP.
The CPI(M) has described the BJP’s criticism an “attack on freedom of expression”.
