Tamil actor Karthi’s new film Komban has found itself in a political controversy. K Krishnasamy, chief of the fringe political outfit Puthiya Thamizhagam and MLA from Ottapidaram constituency, has objected to the film’s title and certain dialogues in it. According to him, the film allegedly offends the religious sensibilities of certain sections of the society while glorifying another community (Thevars). Krishnasamy had also warned that the film would cause communal tension in the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu, where caste is a sensitive issue.
Krishnasamy had approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday to seek a ban on Komban arguing that the film’s release would create law and order problems in the state. The film’s producer K E Gnanavelraja of Studiogreen Productions in turn countered it, requesting the court to watch the film before passing an order. A 10-member expert panel constituted by the court comprising two former judges and four members each from the complainant and the petitioner’s side, were to watch the movie on Tuesday, before submitting their views to the court. The matter will be heard by the court on Tuesday evening.
In a press release issued by K E Gnanavelraja, he has claimed that the film has no reference to any particular caste, but is a family drama featuring the emotional tussle between a man and his father-in-law. “We are not showing any caste as inferior or superior in the film. Allegations are being made against the movie based on assumptions. Once the film is out, everyone will know that these allegations are baseless,” Gnanavelraja says in the press release. Speaking to The Quint, Komban’s director M Muthiah confirmed that there was nothing to put down any community in the movie. “It’s a full and full entertainer surrounding a family,” was his quick reaction. In 2003 Krishnasamy had earlier objected to Kamal Haasan’s film titled Sandiyar saying it exalted the upper caste and the screening of the film might be met with violence, following which its title was changed to Virumaandi (2004). Another film named Sandiyar managed to release recently without courting any controversy.