Kamal Haasan on BJP's reaction to Vijay's Mersal: Counter criticism with logical response

Actor Kamal Haasan defended his Kollywood colleague Vijay, after the BJP's Tamil Nadu chief asked for cuts to be made to his new film, Mersal.

Tamilisai Soundarrajan, the BJP's state president, said on Thursday that some scenes in Mersal showed GST (Goods and Services Tax) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India scheme in a bad light.

Here's what Kamal Hassan had to say about that.

Mersal was certified. Dont re-censor it . Counter criticism with logical response. Dont silence critics. India will shine when it speaks.- Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) October 20, 2017

Like Kamal Haasan, Vijay's father, the filmmaker SA Chandrasekar, also pointed out that the censor board had already cleared the film.

Meanwhile, BJP leader SG Suryah explained why his party is unhappy with Mersal.

"The movie dialogues have been lifted from WhatsApp groups probably because there is nothing factual. We are protesting because a common man will misunderstand..(our)..schemes," he said.

In the movie, Vijay's character asks, "When Singapore gives free medical treatment to all citizens with 7 per cent GST, why can't India with 28 per cent?"

The BJP's answer: There is no GST on medical care in India.

Vijay's character also notes that there's no GST on liquor, but there's a 12 percent tax on medicines.

Suryah said state governments asked for exemptions for liquor and petroleum. "But states have heavy tax. In Tamil Nadu, it's 58 per cent and goes upto 150 per cent based on the brand," he said.

(With inputs from Priyamvatha)

WATCH | Official teaser trailer of Vijay's Mersal (Video courtesy: Sony Music India/YouTube)