Rajinikanth slams AIADMK for demanding scene cuts in Vijay-starrer 'Sarkar'

The makers of 'Sarkar' had agreed to remove 'objectionable' scenes and 'mute' an apparent reference to the late J Jayalalithaa.

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth Friday lashed out at the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu for its protests against certain scenes in actor Vijay's Diwali release 'Sarkar', questioning the rationale behind protesting against a film certified by the Censor Board.

He "strongly condemned" the demands for deletion of scenes.

"It is against the law to hold protests seeking removal of some scenes from a Censor board certified film and trying to stall the screening and damaging the banners," he tweeted.

"I strongly condemn these," he added.

The makers of 'Sarkar' had agreed to remove "objectionable" scenes and "mute" an apparent reference to the late J Jayalalithaa, an industry body said Thursday, as the movie faced a backlash from the ruling AIADMK over depiction of its welfare schemes and its leader.

The AIADMK was up in arms against 'Sarkar' with senior AIADMK ministers demanding deletion of the contentious scenes, besides threatening to initiate legal action if the film crew failed to comply.

Law Minister C Ve Shanmugham said certain scenes amounted to inciting violence and warned of action.

While a theatre owners' body announced that the edited version would be screened from Friday afternoon, sources in the 'Sarkar' crew said a "compromise" has been reached.

'Sarkar,' produced by Sun Pictures, stars Vijay and Keerthi Suresh in key roles, and was released on November 6. It is directed by AR Murugadoss and has music by Oscar winner AR Rahman.

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Rajinikanth-starrer Kaala hits theaters, but faces the Karnataka hurdle

Rajinikanth fans distributed cakes among the audiences who came to watch the 4am show in Chennai.

The much-awaited Rajinikanth-starrer Kaala released on Thursday across 2,500 screens in India. The first show in Chennai started 4 am. Meanwhile, the movie was allegedly streamed on Facebook from Singapore. Later, police arrested the person responsible for the alleged live-streaming.
The movie was not screened in Karnataka on Thursday. Stray incidents of violence were reported in Bengaluru, sources said, as pro-Kannada groups travelled to various theatres and malls in the city and vandalised banners and posters of the film.


The movie is facing protests in Karnataka over Rajinikanth's alleged comments on the Cauvery issue. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) said the film would neither be distributed nor screened in the state. But the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block the release of Kaala and said it could nolt put on hold the screening just a day ahead of its release.


Kaala has started getting positive reviews, and the producer says it is set for a grand success. The movie has already minted over Rs 2.30 billion. According to reports, it needs another Rs 2.80 billion to be declared a commercial hit. Kaala is directed by Pa Ranjith, whose last collaboration with Rajinikanth was Kabali, which reportedly collected over Rs 6.50 billion worldwide. The movie's overseas business was a whopping Rs 2.59 billion, said sources.
Fans have tweeted saying the wait was worth it. "Kaala pakka masssss... #Thalaivar all side sixer," tweeted an excited fan during the film's interval. Their verdict: "Once A King, Always A King."


Rajinikanth's fans started distributing cakes among audiences who came to watch the 4am show in Chennai. Family audiences flocked to theatres in large numbers. Fans in Mumbai gathered for the first day first show in Carnival cinemas in Wadala.


Kaala, a gangster movie written and directed by Pa Ranjith, released after a series of controversies. Initially, the movie’s release was repeatedly postponed due to a producers' strike in Kollywood. After the withdrawal of the strike, there were reports about the movie being hit with a plagiarism scandal, which was later resolved in the Madras High Court.

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