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| Shankar
moves to court against Censor Board!! |
June
02, 2006 |
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A couple of days back, we had announced
the release of Imsai Arasan, that, it was
told, had cleared all hurdles. But looks
like that was just a misconception, as the
film is back into trouble. |
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Thanks to the controversy that
it created for the use of horses
and elephants that let to certification
problems, the film that was
slated for a May 19th release,
was delayed uncertainly, even
as other arrangements were being
made to release the film in
full swing, with posters and
publicity designs being launched,
hinting at a June 9th release,
which is what we had reported.
Now again, the film has found
its way to the courts over the
matter. |
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Considering
the film is touted to be a ‘period’
film, the use of horses and
elephants is a given. The censor
board required a ‘no objection’
certificate from the Animal
Welfare board, as according
to a new set of rules and regulations,
it was mandatory for the censor
board to have such a certification
that stated that the animals
used in the film have all been
treated in a humane manner.
But when the Animal Welfare
Board of India refused to give
the certificate, troubles began.
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It is said that the welfare board
required the removal of a few scenes
from the film, and the Imsai production
team readily agreed. They just wanted
to release the film at any cost, and
as long as they got the certification
from the Welfare Board, nothing else
mattered. But little did they know
that matters were only heading for
the worse!
The Animal Welfare board eventually
pulled back its decision, to give
a ‘No Objection’ certificate,
despite the removal of the scenes,
as the rule further states that a
veterinarian should be present on
the spot when scenes with animals
are canned. Moreover, they feared
a politicizing of this issue by personalities
like Maneka Gandhi, who is an animal
welfare lover and the brain behind
the group, People For Animals. So,
in the last minute, just when the
film was going to be released, they
backed off with the statement that
they ‘can’t do anything’.
With the censor board also supporting
such sentiments, of some voluntary
animal welfare organization challenging
the decision. If they do pass the
film, they fear further controversies
will only damage their credibility
and so they have also washed their
hands off this.
At a bleak time as this, Superstar
Rajnikanth stepped in. He gave them
the idea to approach the court of
law. Following his advice, the producer
Shankar, has approached the High Court,
seeking a directive to provide the
censor certificate. Lawyer Ravi Raj,
on behalf of the Imsai Arasan producer
Shankar, has filed a petition, highlighting
the incidents so far, and has sought
a directive from court to Animal Welfare
Board and Censor Board to issue the
certificate. He has said, “The
court itself can see the movie and
ensure that the animals have indeed
been treated in humane manner.”
He also added that the producer is
incurring heavy loss on a daily basi,
from the time the film was ready to
hit the screens.
After hearing the petition, Justice
R Sudhakar has ordered an issue of
notices to the censor board, asking
them to file an answer before June
7th. Now the ball is literally in
the courts, while we wait with bated
breath for the decision to come forth.
Will Imsai finally see the light of
day on June 9th?
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