BJP vs Mersal: Rajinikanth appreciates Vijay film for addressing important topic

Not just Kollywood celebrities, many other members of the Indian film industry have expressed solidarity with the film, which has irked BJP.

Joining the bandwagon of celebrities, Superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday threw his weight behind Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s Mersal, which is in the middle of a political storm since its theatrical release. The Thalaivar appreciated the filmmakers for addressing an “important topic.”

“Important topic addressed… Well done !!! Congratulations team #Mersal,” wrote Rajinikanth, who rarely makes an appearance on Twitter.

Not just Kollywood celebrities, many other members of the Indian film industry have expressed solidarity with the film, which has irked BJP.

In Mersal, the filmmakers have made references to Narendra Modi government’s pet projects such as Goods and Service Tax and Digital India. BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu took an exception to the scenes in question and demanded to mute them. BJP leader H Raja even gave a communal spin to the controversy by raking up Vijay’s religion.

Many fans perceived the objection of some senior BJP leaders to certain dialogues in Mersal as an effort to silence the dissenting voices.

Earlier, even soon-to-be-politician Kamal Haasan spoke against the idea of re-censoring the film. “Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it. Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks,” he tweeted.

The producers of Mersal, however, reached out to the BJP party and even offered to delete the scenes that the party deemed offensive.