Vettaiyan Controversy: PIL Seeks Removal Of 'Encounter' Dialogue, U/A Certification Questioned

Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan is an action drama film directed by TJ Gnanavel which is all set to hit the theatres on October 10. Ahead of the release, the creators unveiled the trailer on Wednesday, October 2. The two-minute trailer has received much praise, but a roadblock seems to have come its way.

Recently, a complainant from Madurai filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the film, seeking a temporary ban due to dialogues allegedly supporting "illegal encounters". For the unversed, Rajinikanth is playing the role of a cop in Vettaiyan. Going by the trailer, it seems like the character will be pulled up by the authorities for extra-judicial killings.

What is the case filed against Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan?

As per a report in Live Law, Palanivelu from Ulaganeri, Madurai, filed a petition that was heard in the Madurai High Court on Thursday, October 3.

The petitioner mentioned that the promo of Vettaiyan included a dialogue about an encounter, which could influence the public to accept illegal encounters. The preview of Vettaiyan was released on social media on September 20, ahead of the film’s release.

In his plea, Palanivel pointed out that in the recently released trailer of the movie Vettaiyan, Rajnikanth's character was seen saying that "encounter is not only a punishment but also a preventive action to stop such crimes". The makers should remove the word encounter specialist and a dialogue that states "encounters are not just punishment by a preventive action," the plea sought.

He asked the makers to either delete or mute the encounters dialogue in Vettaiyan.

As per Live Law, Palanivel added that “such a situation would lead to the accused being defenseless by losing his fundamental right to defense ingrained under Article 21 of the Constitution.”

The bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice Victoria Gowri ordered notice to the Chief Secretary to the Government, the Censor Board of Film Certification, and Lyca Production in a plea filed by Palanivelu from Madurai. However, they refused to impose an interim ban on the film Vettaiyan.

Petition to remove U/A certification from Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan

The film has received a U/A certificate and has a runtime of 2 hours, 43 minutes, and 25 seconds (163 minutes). According to Live Law, Palanivel argued that the movie did not qualify for a U/A certificate as it glorified an unconstitutional extrajudicial killing, presenting it as legal and constitutional. 

He insisted that the film should be restricted to adult viewers, as children might view a top hero’s actions as justified. He also pointed out that Tamil cinema has historically influenced people's thinking, and there is a risk that viewers might begin to see fake encounters as a valid method for quick justice.