Vishal fumes as theatre cancels show

CHENNAI: City-based Kasi Theatre cancelled two shows of Vishal-starrer Irumbu Thirai on Friday following protests by members of the Hindu Makkal Katchi, which has been calling for a ban on the film for allegedly portraying the workings of ‘Digital India’, and specifically, the Aadhaar card system, in bad light.

A miffed PS Mithran, the director of the film, said, “We have said nothing against the government. We only wanted to convey to the audience that Aadhaar is not just another ID card; that it is a master identity system with a person’s fingerprint and retina details. If somebody steals the database, people will be in grave danger.”

Vishal, lead actor and producer of the film, said, “We have only spoken the truth. The film has already cleared the censors, and we have nothing more to add.”

The spokespersons of Kasi Theatre remained unavailable for comment. The Madras High Court had recently dismissed a writ petition filed against the film that sought to stall its release. The petitioner, Natarajan, had alleged that the cyber-crime thriller portrays the Aaadhar card scheme negatively, on evidence of the film’s trailer.