A complaint has been filed against Kamal Haasan for allegedly defaming late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. A Chennai-based lawyer, Louisal Ramesh, has accused the actor of using Bigg Boss to promote his political party. She said that a recent episode, in which contestant Aishwarya Dutta was asked to play a dictator, offended sentiments of the followers of Jayalalithaa.
In her complaint, she said that Aishwarya was asked to terrorise the other contestants in the house as part of her new task. Another contestant, Riythvika can be seen telling other housemates that Dutta is from North India, and is unaware of the repercussions faced by the people of Tamil Nadu under a dictator. Louisal Ramesh alleged that this was a blatant dig at Jayalalithaa, who was the Chief Minister of the State till her death in December 2016.
“Every Saturday, Kamal Haasan meets the contestants and speaks to them. He uses this opportunity to promote his political party and also takes several digs at Jayalalithaa. This is defamation,” she told Silverscreen.
She wants action to be taken against Kamal and the producer of the show, Endemol Shine. To this end, she has filed a police complaint with the Chennai City Commissioner.
“Immediate legal action must be taken against Kamal for propagating controversial and wrong ideas about Jayalalithaa. She made sure that peace prevailed in Tamil Nadu, and her legacy can never be forgotten. Kamal is using her name for controversy, and the show’s producer has also decided to go ahead with it. So they must both be held responsible for their actions,” she added.
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A spokesperson for Kamal Haasan and the show said that they were unaware of the complaint. “If it is brought to our notice, we will deal with it legally,” they said.
Kamal Haasan, in his capacity as the host of the Bigg Boss reality show, has frequently courted controversy. Last year, the Hindu Makkal Munnani staged a protest against the show and sought a ban on it, alleging that it is against Tamil culture. The fringe group protested yet again earlier this year.