Nothing political about 'Vishwaroopam' ban, says Kamal Haasan's brother

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government's ban on Kamal Haasan's film "Vishwaroopam" is not politically motivated, but for the fear of law and order problems that may ensue, said Chandra Haasan - the actor-filmmaker's brother and partner in the film production company Raj Kamal International.

"As far as we know, the ban is on the grounds to maintain law and order. We do not think the ban is political," Mr Haasan told reporters in Chennai today.

On Wednesday, DMK president M Karunanidhi wondered whether the Tamil Nadu government's ban on "Vishwaroopam" was because the actor wanted a dhoti-clad Tamilian as the prime minister.

In a letter to party cadres, Karunanidhi said some sections of people are of the view that the actor earned the ire of the state government after he said at a book release function that a dhoti-clad Tamilian, referring to union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, should become the country's prime minister.

The Tamil Nadu government had earlier banned the release of "Vishwaroopam" for 15 days as it feared the movie could spark a law and order problem because it contained references to the Muslim community that were allegedly derogatory.

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Many Muslim organisations had opposed the movie, claiming that it presented the community in poor light.

Kamal Haasan is now in Mumbai in connection with the release of "Vishwaroop", the film's Hindi version, which will hit the screens Friday.

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The actor is expected to be back in Chennai tomorrow or on Saturday, Chandra Haasan remarked.