"Yes, Kamal Haasan is being targeted," Telugu Director Rajamouli

Support for the beleaguered genius Kamal Haasan whose magnum opus Vishwaroopam has been banned once again in Tamil Nadu, is growing outside his state. The soft-spoken Telugu superstar-director S.S. Rajamouli whose films like Raja Ramanna, Magadheera and Eega have re-defined popular entertainment in the South, comes out openly to ask if the Indian Muslim population is being seen by the Tamil Nadu government as being sympathetic to the Taliban. Says Rajamouli, “Initially I was outraged along with the rest of our film fraternity at the atrocity that the banning of the film suggests. Apparently the film “hurts the sentiments of Muslims.” Now I want to know which part of the film hurts the sentiments of the Muslims? Showing the Taliban in an unflattering light? So is the government implying the Indian Muslims support Taliban?” Rather than Vishwaroopam hurting Muslim sentiments Rajamouli sees the implicit message of the Tamil Nadu government’s banning of the film, as being insulting to Muslims. “If the film is being banned for showing the Taliban in a dark light and if the Indian Muslims are expected by the government to be hurt by this depiction then, I am afraid, the Muslims of our country are being insulted by the government.” Rajamouli who has constantly made massy films wonders at the naked targeting of Kamal Haasan’s film by the Tamil Nadu government. “What about the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Indian Constitution? Is that freedom being pushed down the drain when Kamalji’s film is being targeted? And didn’t the honourable Supreme Court rule that no government can stop any film’s release for reasons of law and order? Are governments above the law?” Like many in the film fraternity Rajamouli believes Kamal Haasan is being targeted for personal reasons. “At first I thought this was just vote-bank politics. Now it appears that it is more of a personal vendetta. I feel very sad that this should happen to someone of Kamal Haasan’s stature. But more than sadness I feel fear.”