Vijay’s Diwali release, Mersal, faced trouble on the day of its release in Bengaluru. At a private theatre in the city, a local was beaten up by a few Tamil-speaking Vijay fans for allegedly staring at a cut-out of Vijay. The youth was manhandled by the group, following which he lodged a complaint with a local pro-Kannada outfit – Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.
Recommended
A couple of hours later, the theatre was vandalised by a group of protesters, who also forced the theatre owner to stop screening the film. Following this incident, another group also forced a theatre in Mysuru to stop screening the film.
It was only with the intervention of the local police that the crowd dispersed.
Calls for a ban on Mersal and all Tamil films have already begun. A spokesperson for the film has refused to comment on the issue.