Madras HC dismisses PIL against 'Vishwaroopam'

Chennai: The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL seeking a ban on screening of actor-director Kamal Hassan's controversial film 'Vishwaroopam' in all languages across the country.

A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice M Venugopal said they saw no "genuinity" in the petition as the film is set to be released in Tamil Nadu following a compromise between Muslim outfits and the actor.

Petitioner C Jebakumar George, an advocate, had submitted he had watched the film in Thiruvananthapuram and found many scenes to be "very violent and derogative of the religions and races."

He had sought a direction to authorities to issue a ban on the film in the present form across the country, unless and until it was edited to be in conformity with guidelines XII and XIII of the Cinematograph Act.

The multi-lingual film, made in Tamil, Hindu and Telugu, has already been released outside Tamil Nadu where the screening is scheduled for February 7.