Mersal’s producers have reportedly decided to cut scenes related to the Goods and Services Tax and Digital India initiative from the film.
A spokesperson for the film refused to comment on the reports, and would only say that a decision is yet to be taken.
BJP’s Tamil Nadu Chief Tamizhisai Soundarrajan had attacked the actor for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event yesterday. This was followed by H Raja, who took to social media, and suggested that Vijay’s thoughts on the issue were indicative of his ignorance on matters of national importance.
SA Chandrasekhar, the actor’s father, said that the controversy was ‘silly’ as it was his son’s right as an artist to question the government. Especially, when the government made policies that failed to help the people.
Speaking to Silverscreen, SAC said:
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“Mersal is not an attempt at criticising Modi alone. It takes a larger look at the many ways politics fail to help the people. The system is designed so that only the politicians prosper, while the poor are left to fend for themselves. I’ve seen memes on social media recently in which people have criticised my son for not doing anything for the people. They say he has a Rolls Royce car and that he could’ve built a hospital with that money. He certainly can. But ultimately, that responsibility rests with the government. Vijay is taking the bold move of criticising the government when others remain silent. He should be lauded, not attacked.”
The film and its male lead have received enormous support on social media in light of these events. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has also issued a press release through which they extended their support to the makers and condemned the BJP’s Tamil Nadu leaders for their actions.
The film’s director Atlee and producer Hema Rukmani could not be reached for comment.