At actor Vijay’s behest, his Vijay Makkal Iyakkam’s General Secretary Bussy Anand issued a statement late on Tuesday, warning the fan outfit’s members not to write, publish, or share any defamatory material about political party leaders or those in government positions, on social media, in press publications, or in posters.
The statement also warned that if any members resorted to such practices, then they would not only be expelled from the organisation but would face legal action as well.
“This is a strict order from Vijay. We have previously advised our members not to indulge in such activities and we have also expelled those who have broken the rules. Hence, if anyone goes against this in the future, we will not only expel them from the Iyakkam but will also take legal action against the offenders,” the statement said.
It is to be noted that this statement comes ahead of the release of Vijay’s Beast. The film is scheduled to hit the big screens on April 13 and the makers recently released its trailer.
Based on the trailer, Beast appears to revolve around a Chennai mall being taken hostage by a group of miscreants. The trailer further shows Vijay as a spy, who happens to be inside the mall when it is taken over. The actor makes his entry in the trailer by cutting through a saffron-coloured screen.
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With respect to this scene, several social media handles, including those from the actor’s fanbase, have been drawing comparisons between the saffron screen and the ruling Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP), which is associated with the colour. Posts talking about Vijay “daring to go against that saffron party” and “tearing off saffron” have been shared on Twitter in reference to the scene.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Beast was banned in Kuwait, as certain portions of the film went against the country’s censor regulations. Scenes showing the abduction of a Pakistan minister are said to have been the cause for the ban.
Written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, Beast is produced by Sun Pictures. The film has been certified U/A by the CBFC, with a runtime of two hours and 25 minutes.