Pa Ranjith, Kamal Haasan step up in support of Mersal team

Pa Ranjith, director of superstar Rajinikanth's upcoming film Kaala, on Friday came out strongly in support of the Mersal team which has been under pressure after the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded that certain dialogues in the film criticising GST and Digital India be removed from the film.

Although news doing the rounds in the industry suggested that the producer of the film had come forward to delete the scenes in question, several people across the country took to social media platforms to express support for the team and the film.

They urged the team not to delete the scenes on GST, being claimed as offensive by the BJP.

Prime among them was Ranjith, who, during an interaction with mediapersons in Madurai, said that there was no need to remove the scenes on GST from the film. 

"The problems people encountered as a result of GST has only been shown in the film. It is the people's opinion. If you see, people are cheering those scenes in theatres. There is overwhelming appreciation. I think it is time for politicians to reconsider," the director said. 

Meanwhile, actor Kamal Haasan also had a suggestion for those demanding the removal of the dialogues from the film.

On his Twitter account, Kamal suggested that those demanding the removal of dialogues not do so, and urged them to counter criticism with logical responses.

The actor tweeted, "Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks."

Apart from Kamal Haasan, former Union minister P Chidambaram also tweeted in support of the film. He drew comparisons to the iconic Tamil film, Parasakthi (1952) saying, 'BJP demands deletion of dialogues in 'Mersal'. Imagine the consequences if 'Parasakthi' was released today.' 

The film has also faced the wrath of several supporters of the ruling party at the centre, BJP. The party's Tamil Nadu chief, TN Sounderrajan, in a quote to The Indian Express said, "What do they [the filmmakers] know about GST and its economics… such incorrect references should be removed from the film." 

With support coming in from the industry, it might be interesting to watch how things develop for Mersal.