Mersal release issue: Vijay meets Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi Palanisamy
Just like how it has been for all other Vijay films, Mersal has also been caught in legal issues just two days before the release. The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) did not grant an NOC to the movie after they found that real birds and snakes were used for shoot while the makers had claimed it to be done by CG. The CBFC is also yet to certify the movie though there were false reports about the movie being given an U/A certificate.
In the wake of all these issues, actor Vijay met the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy last day in his residence. While a section of medias reported that Vijay had visited the CM to the clear the issues surrounding Mersal, reports also suggest that the actor paid a visit to thank the State Government for the reduction of entertainment tax by two per cent.
After watching Mersal today afternoon, the AWBI officials have granted the NOC, which is mandatory for getting the censor certificate. Censoring is the only hurdle ahead of Mersal and it is expected to be cleared by today itself.
Such issues have always plagued the release of Vijay’s films. During the release of Thuppakki in 2012, Muslim groups had protested against the movie after they alleged that the makers have hurt their religious sentiments. Vijay, then, had to meet the CM to resolve the issue. Similarly many such issues have risen up during the release of Thalaivaa, Kaththi and Puli.
Trade analysts and industry experts strongly believe that Mersal will overcome all these issues and emerge as a blockbuster. The movie has a great pre-release buzz with advance bookings on in full swing. It is Vijay’s career hype film and is also getting ready as his biggest release till date.
Leading production house Thenandal Studios Limited is backing this high profile project, which incidentally is also their 100th venture. They are planning to release the movie in a never before seen scale worldwide. As per the makers, the movie will be released in over 3300 screens worldwide.
