There is no clarity whether Vijay-starrer Tamil action-drama "Thalaivaa" will come out or not in the state. Now, government intervention has been sought in the matter.
Tamil Nadu Oppressed Students Revolutionary Force, a students' body, Wednesday threatened violence if "Thalaivaa", produced by Chandraprakash Jain, will be screened in the state. Following the threat, multiplexes stopped advance bookings for the film.
According to the group, the distributor of the film, Vendhar Movies, have not paid the tax on the money they invested in the movie. They also alleged that the money has been earned by exploiting students of SRM group of educational institutions.
Directed by A.L. Vijay, "Thalaivaa" also features Amala Paul, Ragini Nandwani and Abhimanyu Singh. The film, being distributed by Vendhar Movies, who own SRM group, one of the biggest educational institutions in the state.
"The group has alleged that Vendhar Movies has invested a large sum of tax-evaded money in the film and believe that the money was earned by exploiting the students of their institutions. They have threatened to resort to violence if the film is released in the state," said a member of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association (TTOA).
After the emergency meeting Wednesday between producer of "Thalaivaa" and TTOA, consensus could not be reached.
"We have requested actor Vijay and his father S.A. Chandrasekhar along with the director of the film to seek the government's intervention. We can't take the issue lightly because the film is expected to hit nearly 500 theatres in Tamil Nadu, therefore, we need to beef up the security," the TTOA member said.
On Wednesday, a group also alleged that "Thalaivaa", which means leader in Tamil, is a political film and is believed to be taking a dig at some sensitive issues.
Actor Vijay, however, clarified that the film is apolitical.
The release of the film in other states as well remains unaffected. And it will release in the overseas market as per schedule.
"We're not sure about the situation in Tamil Nadu, but we have been asked to release the film here by the overseas distributor," said a distributor of "Thalaivaa" in the US.