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Haasan pleased with response to ‘Vishwaroop’

The controversial film continues to be banned in much of south India

IANS
Published: 14:16 February 2, 2013

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Chennai: Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan said on Saturday that he is pleased with the response to the Hindi version of his controversial film ‘Vishwaroop’ in north India.

The Hindi version released in over 1,000 screens on Friday.

“I am extremely happy with the response my film has received in north India,” Kamal Haasan said upon his return to Chennai on Saturday.

Haasan was in Mumbai since Thursday promoting ‘Vishwaroop’. The Tamil and Telugu version, ‘Vishwaroopam’, still remains banned in Tamil Nadu following protests from Muslim groups over certain scenes in the movie, which seem derogatory to their community.

The actor will meet leaders of Muslim groups later here on Saturday in a bid to lift the ban on his film.

On Friday, Chandra Haasan, on behalf of the production house Raj Kamal International Films, met the leaders of protesting groups in preliminary talks in the presence of Tamil Nadu Home Secretary R. Rajagopal.

Following the preliminary talks, both parties were to meet formally on Friday evening, but it was called off after the opposition party expressed an interest to meet Kamal Haasan himself.

On Thursday, talks were to take place between Muslim leaders and Tamil filmmaker Ameer Sultan on behalf of Raj Kamal Films International, but it was called off after both the parties decided that the government should mediate the talks.

“We’ve submitted letters to the government requesting it to oversee the talks between Raj Kamal Films International and leaders of all 24 Muslim organisations,” Chandra Haasan said on Thursday.

Both parties agreed to sit and discuss the matter after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday said her government would do anything to help Haasan release his film if he can reach an amicable solution with the protesting groups.

The Rs950 million (Dh65.6 million) espionage thriller was originally scheduled to release in Tamil and Telugu on January 25.