Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 24 (ANI): Over 50 Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) workers were detained on Friday after holding a protest outside Amirtharaj Theatre in Virudhunagar, alleging that a controversial video mocking party’s candidate Vijayaprabakaran’s election defeat was played during a special screening of actor Vijay’s last film ‘Jana Nayagan’.
The protesters demanded an apology from former Congress MLA Selvam Amirtharaj, alleging that his supporters were behind the video. Police eventually detained the demonstrators to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, ‘Jana Nayagan’, starring actor and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, was screened across three theatres in Virudhunagar on Thursday. Virudhunagar East District Secretary and former MLA Selvam Amirtharaj attended a special fan show at one of the cinema halls.
During the screening, a video allegedly created by the MLA’s supporters was played inside the theatre.
The video reportedly featured a recorded television news clip from the previous Tamil Nadu Assembly election vote count announcing the defeat of DMDK candidate Vijayaprabakaran, son of late DMDK founder Vijayakanth, in the Virudhunagar constituency. It also included footage of Selvam Amirtharaj’s election campaign and his appearances at public events following his victory.
The screening of the clip drew strong objections from DMDK cadres, who alleged that it was intentionally played to ridicule Vijayaprabakaran’s electoral defeat before moviegoers and the general public.
Condemning the move as politically inappropriate and disrespectful to the family of late DMDK leader Vijayakanth, over 50 DMDK workers attempted to lay siege to Amirtharaj Theatre near the Old Bus Stand in Virudhunagar before being detained by police.
Earlier on Thursday, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) workers and fans of actor Vijay celebrated the release of ‘Jana Nayagan’ as the actor’s ‘final’ film opened in over 1,000 theatres across the state.
In Ramanathapuram, a large number of TVK executives led by district secretary Malarvizhi Jayapala greeted moviegoers and distributed sweets outside a theatre, joining fans in marking the long-awaited release following months of delay.
From early morning celebrations to fans dancing to music, confetti, giant cut-outs, enthusiastic chants and cheers outside cinema halls, the film’s arrival transformed theatres into festive venues in different districts, including Nilgiris, Ranipet and others.
Apart from Tamil Nadu, the fans of the actor in Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Bengaluru also expressed their excitement by installing huge cutouts of the actor and cutting cake outside the theatre halls.
The political action drama ‘Jana Nayagan’ has been billed as Vijay’s final film before he shifts his complete focus to politics. Originally scheduled for a Pongal release on January 9, the film was postponed after running into certification issues. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) held back certification over concerns that certain scenes could potentially hurt religious sentiments, causing a delay of several months and disappointing fans.
Directed by H Vinoth, ‘Jana Nayagan’ stars Vijay alongside Mamitha Baiju, Prakash Raj, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani, Pooja Hegde and Narain. The film features music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan, editing by Pradeep E Ragav, and production design by V Selvakumar. (ANI)
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