Just a few days shy of its release, Komban has been in the midst of a political storm. The film, which has Karthi playing a goat seller from Ramanathapuram district, has been accused of having content that would create ‘communal tension’. In the middle of this carefully orchestrated assault is Dr Krishnaswamy, who last surfaced years ago when he ‘condemned’ Kamal Haasan for daring to name his film ‘Sandiyar’. Kamal acquiesced and changed the title, but the fact that a film of the same name released (rather smoothly) a few months earlier, has not been brought into question.
Weeks ago, a little known outfit from Madurai had also filed a petition against Komban, on the grounds that it glorifies the Thevar community. The matter was referred to the Censor Board, which cleared the film with a U/A certificate.
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Over the past few years, films of stars like Vijay, Ajith and Kamal Haasan have been stalled at the very last minute. After a flurry of negotiations, the films would hit the theatres. In the case of Kaththi, the situation even escalated to violence, with the city’s most famous cinema halls vandalised. Seeman said, “Since Kamal was in a film called Sandiyar, Dr Krishnaswamy objected strenuously. A few months ago, a film of the same name released but nobody bothered. If Karthi hadn’t acted in Komban, would anybody have caused a fuss?”
The larger issue here is one of censorship, says Sridhar, a film distributor. “We have a certification body which has fully qualified and educated people who have decreed this film fit for public viewing. Wouldn’t they know what’s best for us? Recently, the situation has become bad. People protest against films that they have no knowledge of. They are offended even without reason.”
The timing of these protests are also off, says Sridhar. “If there is a genuine issue, it should have been brought to light earlier on. Why wait till the week of the film’s release to protest against it? This has become a plague.” Seeman, too, echoed Sridhar in his recently released statement to the media. “Krishnaswamy has said that the title – Komban – glorified a particular caste. If he was not pleased with the title why did he not approach the film’s team when they announced it a year ago? They are Tamil people after all. They would understand. Protesting at such a late date is a sure sign that there are larger forces at play.”
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Meanwhile, at a judicial hearing for this case, the lawyer arguing for Dr Krishnaswamy has alleged that there are several instances in the film’s two-minute trailer that demean scheduled castes. Karthi’s character is shown as belonging to the Thevar community while the villains belong to scheduled castes. This would incite clashes between the two groups across Tamil Nadu, is their argument.
Seeman then declared that he will watch the film with Dr Krishnaswamy if the need arises, to put a stop to this menace. “Dr Krishnaswamy has formed an opinion about the movie without even watching it. I’m willing to watch the film with him, and if he’s proven right, I’ll stand with him on his fight.”
The judge has put together a panel to review the film. A report on the same will be made available later this evening, following which a call will be taken on the release of the film. The production team though, is confident of overcoming this trouble. Twitter and Facebook too has seen its share of supporters who ‘stand with Komban’.
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The Tamil film industry is also rallying behind the film and its producer KE Gnanavel Raja. At a hastily arranged press meet for the film, Sarath Kumar, Kalaipuli S Thanu and Vikraman voiced support for the movie and assured its producer of their continued support. Furthermore, Gnanavel Raja revealed that at a screening of the film for the court-appointed panel, Dr Krishnaswamy’s advocates arrived late. “They did not show up with the right mindset to watch,” said the tearful producer.
Also, in an interesting development, he said that the film will release on April 1, a day ahead of its intended release. “Contrary to reports, Komban is a family entertainer and will not incite controversies. We’ve already lost time waiting for this to die down…so we’re advancing the release of the movie.”
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