Objectionable scenes in film 'Sarkar' cut, TN govt thanks crew
Chennai, Nov 9: The issue over actor Vijay's Tamil film 'Sarkar' blew over Friday with its producers voluntarily cutting scenes, including an apparent reference to late chief minister J Jayalalithaa and criticism of welfare schemes initiated by her, and the AIADMK government welcoming it.
A day after the movie faced a backlash from AIADMK over the 'objectionable' scenes and reference, prompting the makers to agree for the cuts, Information and Publicity Minister Kadambur C Raju welcomed it and said the "issue has come to an end" and AIADMK would not stage any more protests against it.
His cabinet colleague R B Udhayakumar thanked the film producers for respecting "the sentiments of Tamil people" and urged movie-makers to exercise restraint in future.
Earlier in the day, Tamil 'Superstar' Rajinikanth threw his weight behind Vijay, questioning the AIADMK's rationale in protesting against a film certified by the censor board.
After several ministers objected to the reference to Jayalalithaa and some scenes, including the one showing mixers and grinders being burnt, AIADMK workers Thursday protested in front of several theatres screening the film, released on Deepavali day on November 6.
In a related legal development, the Madras High Court Friday restrained the police from arresting the film's director A R Murugadoss till November 27.
Passing interim orders on the anticipatory bail application filed by Murugadoss, who apprehended arrest in connection with some complaints lodged against him, Justice G K Ilanthirayan directed him to co-operate with the police and adjourned the matter to November 27.
Murugadoss's counsel informed the court that the objectionable portions had already been removed from the film.
According to Tamil film industry sources, "relevant scenes" in 'Sarkar' have been removed and the theatres will now start screening the 'edited' version.
They added the cuts in the digital copies of the film for all theatres can be made online from Chennai itself.
The cuts affected were 'voluntary' with the approval of the Central Board of Film Certification, they said.
"While we don't know how many scenes have been deleted, we can say for sure that the objectionable scene on mixer and grinder being burnt has been removed," they said.
Also, the audio part mentioning the name Komalavalli, deemed to be a reference to Jayalalithaa, will be 'muted,' they said.
The removal of the scenes prompted Raju to declare that the "issue has come to an end" and that the AIADMK would not hold anymore protests.
"We believe they (Sarkar team) have realised that they have hurt people's sentiments and have come forward to remove the scenes... it is welcome. So the issue has come to an end.
The protests (against the film) will not continue," he told reporters here.
Defending the protests, Raju said AIADMK workers "ranging from an ordinary cadre to the Chief Minister (K Palaniswami)," consider Jayalalithaa as their 'God'.
"We have nothing to do with the film or Vijay," Raju said describing the star as a "dear friend."
He said the party's opposition had nothing to do with criticism of the government.
A name said to be referring to Jayalalithaa was used for a negative character and therefore the opposition to it was "wholehearted" from the party workers, he added.
Revenue Minister Udayakumar thanked the 'Sarkar' crew for removing the scenes.
"In future, filmmakers should avoid including scenes that would hurt the sentiments, especially relating to Amma's (Jayalalithaa's) sacrifices and hard work," he said.
Fans of "dear brother Vijay" also benefited from government welfare schemes like the free mixer-grinder and fan initiative, he told reporters in Madurai.
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth "strongly condemned" the demands for deletion of the scenes.
"It is against the law to hold protests seeking removal of some scenes from a Censor board certified film and trying to stall the screening and damaging the banners," he tweeted.
On Thursday, the AIADMK was up in arms against 'Sarkar' with senior state ministers demanding deletion of the contentious scenes, besides threatening to initiate legal action if the film crew failed to comply.
Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam had said certain scenes amounted to inciting violence and warned of 'action'.
The AIADMK took strong exception to scenes showing mixer-grinder and fans being burnt, seen as an obvious affront to its flagship scheme of providing these goods free of cost to people, fulfilling an electoral promise made by Jayalalithaa in 2011.
'Sarkar' had earlier courted a row after an aspiring filmmaker claimed that the film's story was his, following which director Murugadoss went in for a compromise with him.
Produced by Sun Pictures, the film stars Vijay and Keerthi Suresh in key roles with Oscar winner A R Rahman scoring the music.
Vijay's 2017 film 'Mersal' too had ran into a controversy after BJP objected to some scenes critical of GST among others.
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UK Professor Nitasha Kaul's Overseas Citizenship of India cancelled
Academician decries move as "transnational repression"
London/New Delhi: Professor Nitasha Kaul, a London-based academic, announced on May 18, 2025, via a social media post that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card has been cancelled by the Indian government. She described the move as a "bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of transnational repression" intended to punish her for her scholarly work critical of the Modi government's policies concerning minorities and democracy.
The cancellation follows an incident in February 2024 when Professor Kaul, who holds a British passport and held an OCI card, was denied entry into India upon arrival at Bengaluru airport. She had been invited by the then Congress-led Karnataka state government to speak at a conference on "The Constitution and Unity in India."
According to an image of the letter shared by Professor Kaul, the Indian government stated that it had been "brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been found indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history." The letter further accused her of regularly targeting India and its institutions on matters of India's sovereignty through "numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms."
Professor Kaul, who is a Professor of Politics, International Relations, and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the University of Westminster, London, vehemently rejects these accusations. She stated she had provided a 20,000-word response to what she termed the government's "ridiculous inanity about ‘anti-India’," but the OCI was cancelled through a "rigged process."
In her social media posts, Professor Kaul lamented the decision, questioning how the "mother of democracy" could deny her access to her mother in India. She characterized the action as stemming from "thin-skinned, petty insecurity with no respect for well-intentioned dissent."
The February 2024 denial of entry had already sparked controversy. At the time, immigration officials reportedly cited "orders from Delhi" without providing formal reasons, though Professor Kaul mentioned informal references to her past criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Ministry of External Affairs had then responded by stating that the entry of foreign nationals into India is a "sovereign decision." Unofficial government sources had indicated that a "preventive lookout circular" was issued against her due to her alleged "pro-separatist" and "anti-India" stance on Kashmir.
The BJP in Karnataka had criticised the state government for inviting her, labelling her an "anti-India element." Conversely, the then-Karnataka government and various international human rights organizations and academic bodies had condemned the denial of entry.
Professor Kaul has been an outspoken commentator on Indian politics, including the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and has testified before international bodies such as the US Congress on human rights in the region. She maintains her work is academic and pro-democracy, not anti-India.
The cancellation of her OCI card effectively bars her from entering India, a country to which she has personal and academic ties. This incident adds to a growing list of academics, journalists, and activists of Indian origin whose OCI status has been revoked or who have been denied entry to India in recent years, raising concerns about freedom of speech and dissent. Reports indicate that over 100 OCI cards were cancelled by the Indian government between 2014 and May 2023. Furthermore, in 2021, new rules were introduced requiring OCI cardholders to obtain special permission for activities such as research and journalism.
