Published on
:
With only a few months to go for the Tamil Nadu state assembly elections, actor-politician Vijay is ready to face his first major battle. However, ahead of his full-fledged entry to politics, controversies and issues surrounding it have been aplenty, including his last film, Jana Nayagan‘s censor row and the aftermath of the Karur stampede.
Addressing these major roadblocks, Vijay in a recent interview with NDTV, explained how the stampede that occurred last year, came as a major shock to him and how it continues to “haunt” him. The incident that unfolded on September 27 during Vijay’s political rally, resulted in the death of 41 people including ten children, 18 women, and 13 men.
The tragedy happened after almost 30,000 people had gathered to catch a glimpse of Vijay when its capacity was only about 10,000. Many had waited at the venue for several hours without basic facilities—a major reason cited for the crowd crush.
A major political storm broke out in its aftermath with the state police accusing his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), of brushing off their advice to take adequate precautions. Three days later, Vijay issued a video statement, stating his pain and sorrow, while underlining the involvement of political sabotage in the incident. He also announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for each victim’s family and Rs 2 lakh for the injured. A month after the stampede, Vijay met the victims’ families in a closed-door meeting at a private resort in Mamallapuram, near Chennai where he offered all support possible and apologised for not meeting them at their homes. The Central Bureau of Investigation recently questioned the actor in Delhi regarding the incident for over six hours where he was reportedly asked about organising the rally, reasons behind his delayed arrival, how he knew about the chaos and lack of crowd management.
Months later, the actor’s swansong Jana Nayagan, helmed by H Vinoth was locked in legal tussles over granting of a censor certificate by the Central Bureau of Film Certification (CBFC). The delay led to its postponement from the initial release of January 9, ahead of Pongal festival. Breaking his silence regarding the issue surrounding the film, Vijay expressed his sadness for the producer KVN Productions. However, Vijay said that he expected the turn of events and was “mentally prepared” for what could transpire. With fans, celebrities and general public noting their disappointment over its delay, there has also been chatter around a potential political ploy to postpone the film until the elections take place. Vijay, who is well-aware of the events, felt that Jana Nayagan could be “targeted” for his politics.
During the recent order on January 27, the Madras High Court’s Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan passed an order setting aside the single judge’s directive given by PT Asha, directing Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue U/A 16 certificate to the movie. The court annulled the earlier order that had directed the grant of a censor certificate to the film without referring it to a revising committee, observing that the single judge should have allowed time for filing a counter-affidavit.
According to reports, KVN Productions, which is backing the film, has decided to abandon the case in their next hearing at the Madras High Court’s Single single judge, Justice PT Asha, and subsequently go to the Revising Committee, as the Censor Board recently recommended. A confirmation is awaited from the makers and the court.
