Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Vettaiyan’: Plea to remove or mute dialogue ‘glorifying’ encounters

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a direction to remove or to mute the phrase ‘renowned encounter specialist’ and a Tamil dialogue on ‘encounters’ in the Rajinikanth-starrer Vettaiyan.

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a direction to remove or to mute the phrase ‘renowned encounter specialist’ and a Tamil dialogue on ‘encounters’ in the Rajinikanth-starrer Vettaiyan.

The petitioner K. Palanivelu, from Madurai, has sought a direction to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to re-examine the movie Vettaiyan and direct the producer of the film, LYCA Productions, to remove or mute the phrase ‘renowned encounter specialist’ and remove the Tamil dialogue that says, ‘encounter is not only a punishment but also a preventive action to stop such/further crimes’, which is in the film’s teaser.

The petitioner complained that they glorify extra-judicial killings. The teaser of the film shows the protagonist hunting alleged criminals in the name of ‘encounters’.

He said that he filed the petition to stop the screening of the film till the phrase ‘renowned encounter specialist’ and the dialogue on encounters, which glorifies and legitimises the encounters by the protagonist of the film, were removed or muted. Fake encounters or extra-judicial killings are illegal and unconstitutional, and it cannot be glorified, he said.

A Division Bench of Justices R. Subramanian and L. Victoria Gowri admitted the petition and ordered notice.