Madras HC refuses to stall Kaala, to hear plea today

On Wednesday, when the plea came up for hearing before Justice T Raja, the petitioner J Muthuramesh alias Rameshkumar Nadar submitted that the movie is based on late Thiraviyam Nadar, who in 1956 protected Tamilians in Mumbai as per law. But Rajinikanth is said to be playing a slumlord-gangster, thereby degrading Thiraviyam Nadar’s family. He prayed that the movie must be subjected to a re-censor.

But even as the judge asked the petitioner’s counsel as to why the plea has been moved at the last minute. The judge, on finding that the certification was provided on April 2, said there was adequate time to raise objections before the appropriate forum and not rush just hours before the movie’s release.

Senior counsel PR Raman appearing for the actor said the plea is based on mere assumptions and at best is a publicity litigation. He said once the movie has been cleared by the Censor Board, even the State cannot stop its release. Moreover, nobody knows anything about Thiraviyam Nadar and neither a book nor an autobiography exists. To claim that the movie is based on the said person even before its release is a mere conjecture and hence the plea ought to be dismissed at the threshold with costs, PR Raman argued.

He also noted that the petitioner is not related to the said Thiraviyam Nadar and hence has no locus standi to move such a plea. To this, the petitioner’s counsel claimed that the petitioner has obtained authorisation from Thiraviyam Nadar’s son Jawahar through mail. The judge then directed him to produce the said authorisation on Thursday.