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Kamal Haasan

Madras HC dismisses petition against 'Dasavatharam'
30th May 2008 09.00 IST
By Agencies

The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking a direction to film certification authorities to change the title of the Kamal Haasan starrer Dasavatharam and delete some scenes, paving the way for the movie's release.

A Division Bench, comprising Justice K Venkatraman and M Satyanarayana, dismissed the case saying the name "Dasavatharam" was an ancient historical and religious one and nobody could object its usage since there was no intellectual property rights attached to it.

"As regards the deletion of some scenes the petitioner cannot demand for the same since they have not watched the film," the Bench observed.

Describing the petitioner's claims of scenes in which Kamal Haasan allegedly steps on the 'OM' mantra and tramples on the Bhagawad Gita as "imaginary assumption of the petitioner," the Bench said the scenes were only a fiction born out of imagination.

Since the petitioners had not watched the movie their apprehension lack substance, the Bench said while dismissing the case.

The Bench also turned down the petitioner's contention that there were scenes depicting clashes between Vaishnavites and Saivites, which could lead to caste clashes, on the same ground that they had not watched the movie.

Earlier, counsel appearing for the producer Oscar K Ravichandran and Director K S Ravikumar had argued that the film did not carry scenes that would incite violence and said that the movie only glorified God as a supreme divine power.

The petitioner, International Sri Vaishnava Dharma Samrakshanna Society (SVDSS) represented by its President Swamy Govinda Ramanuja Dasan, had contended that the movie had scenes that offended Hindu sentiments, particularly that of Vaishnavites.

The case was based on clippings of the movie shown in a private Tamil television channel.

Dasan had prayed for the deletion of scenes depicting clashes between Vaishnavites and Saivites and a few other scenes.

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