07-10-2007, 06:46 AM
<!--emo&<_<--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' /><!--endemo--> PIL seeks ban on Sivaji
Pioneer News Service | Chennai
...for showing PM, Sonia in 'poor light'
A man claiming to be aggrieved by the alleged defamatory portrayal of Congress leaders in some shots of the Tamil blockbuster Sivaji - The Boss on Monday filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking a ban on the big budget movie, which has been running to packed houses in hundreds of theatres in several countries for the past few weeks.
In addition to the ban, the petitioner, M Sathyamoorthy, has sought Rs 50 crore as damages from superstar Rajnikanth, the film's hero, and its producer and director, for portraying the villain as someone close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The petitioner, an AICC member, said the protagonist was shown as a man intending to establish charitable educational institutions and in a particular scene was shown seeking guidance of the owner of a private university. The latter, the villain in the tale, has a photograph of himself alongside Gandhi and Singh on his table. This photograph is shown four times in the film.
As the villain is portrayed as an evil man exploiting thousands of students by collecting huge capitation fees and a huge tax evader, the film sought to give an impression that he was a Congressman, the petitioner said and claimed it would give a poor impression of his party and its leaders to the public.
He sought a ban on the film and payment of compensation of Rs 50 crores to the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
Sathyamoorthy also claimed that Telugu Desam Party leader N Chandrababu Naidu, who was invited to a special screening of Sivaji, had asked his partymen to see the film. He alleged that Naidu could have inspired such an anti-Congress scene.
The petition is yet to be numbered in the registry, but may make it to the admission list before the High Court on Tuesday.
Apart from Rajnikanth, director Sankar and producer AVM Saravanan, officials of the Film Certification Board the State information secretary were cited as respondents.
Pioneer News Service | Chennai
...for showing PM, Sonia in 'poor light'
A man claiming to be aggrieved by the alleged defamatory portrayal of Congress leaders in some shots of the Tamil blockbuster Sivaji - The Boss on Monday filed a petition in the Madras High Court seeking a ban on the big budget movie, which has been running to packed houses in hundreds of theatres in several countries for the past few weeks.
In addition to the ban, the petitioner, M Sathyamoorthy, has sought Rs 50 crore as damages from superstar Rajnikanth, the film's hero, and its producer and director, for portraying the villain as someone close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The petitioner, an AICC member, said the protagonist was shown as a man intending to establish charitable educational institutions and in a particular scene was shown seeking guidance of the owner of a private university. The latter, the villain in the tale, has a photograph of himself alongside Gandhi and Singh on his table. This photograph is shown four times in the film.
As the villain is portrayed as an evil man exploiting thousands of students by collecting huge capitation fees and a huge tax evader, the film sought to give an impression that he was a Congressman, the petitioner said and claimed it would give a poor impression of his party and its leaders to the public.
He sought a ban on the film and payment of compensation of Rs 50 crores to the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
Sathyamoorthy also claimed that Telugu Desam Party leader N Chandrababu Naidu, who was invited to a special screening of Sivaji, had asked his partymen to see the film. He alleged that Naidu could have inspired such an anti-Congress scene.
The petition is yet to be numbered in the registry, but may make it to the admission list before the High Court on Tuesday.
Apart from Rajnikanth, director Sankar and producer AVM Saravanan, officials of the Film Certification Board the State information secretary were cited as respondents.