Sarkar movie controversy: AIADMK criticises Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan's support for Vijay's film

The raging Sarkar controversy refuses to die down after the producers cut the objectionable scenes and re-censored it for theatrical screening in Tamil Nadu. [caption id=“attachment_5509521” align=“alignnone” width=“1200”]  Vijay in a still from Sarkar. YouTube[/caption] The ruling AIADMK party and its leaders, including Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, hit out against Tamil superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan for supporting the Vijay film. A day after the makers of Sarkar deleted the controversial scenes, the mouthpiece of the ruling AIADMK Nammadhu Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, lashed out , in an article, against Rajinikanth for supporting the film. Rajinikanth had said that a film that was certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) so should not be re-censored to satisfy the whims and fancies of a political party. The AIADMK newspaper responded, “Superstar, please give a frank and proper response. If you find a dead lizard inside a packed food product with government approved food and safety certification, will you throw it away or will you consume it just because it has the necessary government seal of approval?” The article also defended the freebie scheme started by Jayalalithaa. It said that the freebie system bridges the gap between the rich and the poor. Affluent people may look down upon the freebie system but Amma canteens serve thousands of aspiring filmmakers. Palaniswami lashed out against the superstar and told the media, “Amma had provided household items normally associated with the rich to be distributed among the poorest of the poor. We have found that AR Murgadoss’ relatives too had availed of the scheme and received freebies (Murgadoss makes a cameo in a scene which has now been deleted showing him throwing a hand mixer into a fire ). Filmmakers spend up to Rs  900 Crore to make a film. Where do they get the money from? By selling Rs 100 ticket illegally for Rs 1,000, they suck the fan’s blood! These guys command a salary anywhere between Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore. How much these guys have spent on the people?” The chief minister added that 1.84 crore people in the state had benefited from freebies. He was also critical of Kamal Haasan and said, “This guy was acting in films for the last 64 years and now aspires to start a career in politics. He now wants to continue to act in politics. But acting won’t work in politics. I have been working tirelessly for my party for the last 44 years and understand the pain of the ordinary people more than these stars who just talk without knowing the ground reality.” The chief minister also justified the AIADMK workers who had allegedly vandalised _Sarkar_ posters. Palaniswami said when schemes brought about by political leaders are belittled, party men would respond. Meanwhile, Sun Pictures, the producer of the film, put out a press release stating why they deleted the objectionable scenes. The production house said the controversial scenes were deleted “as ruling party cadres have indulged in violent protests causing damage to theatres. And in the interest of public visiting the theatre, the scenes were deleted.” It looks like the Sarkar controversy will continue to smoulder for a few more days as its worldwide box office collection nears the Rs 150 crore mark this weekend.