The BJP might have flexed its muscles to bear down upon the producers of Tamil film Mersal to delete a scene that takes a jibe at GST and healthcare, but the move has only backfired on them.
The scene that could be deleted, or muted, has spread like wildfire on social media. And with subtitles!
In the scene, the character Vijay plays in the film can be seen questioning why medicines have a GST of 12%, while alcohol, which kills many, doesn’t. The actor also compares India to Singapore, which has 7% GST and offers “free medical care”. The scene makes an obvious reference to the Gorakhpur tragedy in which several children died due to the lack of oxygen cylinders.
Raging on about the condition of healthcare in the country, Vijay’s character goes on to list similar incidents, wherein a baby died because of a rat bite, and four people undergoing dialysis passed away because of a power cut. The actor also declares that it’s the fear of such government hospitals which becomes the investment of private ones.
Even those who had dismissed Mersal as a regular "commercial" film are now backing the movie because of the BJP's censorious move. The BJP has objected to the scene, saying the comparison with Singapore is wrong, and that Vijay's facts are wrong.
The editor of the film, Ruben, posted that he was the editor – an assertion that has gone viral, making it clear that the BJP had no right to edit the film further.
Kamal Haasan has also come out in support of the film, pointing out that there was no need for "re-censorship". The hashtag #MersalVsModi has become something of a warcry on social media.
Take a look at these memes:
Clearly, if the BJP could have done one thing to ensure that the GST scene would be watched by everyone, it was to insist on its removal.
(Originally published on The News Minute)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)