BJP urges to remove few scenes from Mersal as they allege that their schemes have been mocked in the movie!
Vijay’s films have always had to encounter issues from one group or the other. While it was religious groups for Thuppakki, it was the pro-Tamil outfits who tried the stall the release of his Kaththi. During the release of Thalaivaa, theatre owners in TN were even threatened that they will be bombed if they screen the movie. Vijay’s latest release Mersal is also no different.
After fighting it out with several issues like government tax claims, a legal complaint from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and last minute censoring, the movie finally hit screens last day. While the movie is getting phenomenal response from centres all across the globe, a new issue has popped up in the form of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
Some BJP leaders in TN are unhappy with how some of their schemes have been criticised in the movie. Mersal, scripted jointly by Atlee, KV Vijayendra Prasad and Ramana Girivasan, has an usual revenge story but comes with a very relevant social message about the importance of a proper health sector. The protagonist in the film fights for free medical facilities to all, regardless of their financial background.
In a particular scene in the film, the character played by Vijay compares the standards of health sector in India and Singapore. He says that despite charging only 7% GST, people there get free medical treatment. But in India where people are charged 28% GST, we don’t get any free treatment. There is another scene where Vadivelu mocks the digital India scheme and how people had to stand in long queues before the ATMs during the demonetization period.
Apparently, these scenes have not gone well with the BJP and its leaders. The state’s leader Tamilisai Soundarajan has urged that the scenes related to GST and Digital India in Mersal must be removed.
She also accused actor Vijay of spreading false information because he wants to enter politics. In the micro blogging website Twitter, popular reviewer Prashanth and RSS member and BJP’s TN Youth Wing leader SG Suryah were involved in heated argument over these scenes.
All these issues seem to have had no impact on the movie’s box office collections. Trade analysts in TN report the movie has roughly earned around Rs 24-25 crores from the state alone. In Kerala, the movie has grossed a whopping Rs 6.11 crores on its opening day, which is a non-Baahubali record.
