Questions have been raised on social media on the relevance of Nadigar Sangam and other film bodies following the controversy over the release of actor Vijay’s Kaththi.

On Twitter, irate fans questioned actor Sarathkumar, who is also president of Nadigar Sangam, on why the Tamil film actors’ body failed to support actors when political and religious groups tried to scuttle the release of their films.

Sarathkumar defended the various film industry bodies.

“This is a delicate issue which could affect the law-and-order situation in the State. Fans do not understand that it is because of the film bodies we have reached a stage where the film is sure to be released on Deepavali day. It is unfortunate that fans use abusive language against those who are actually working behind the scenes to sort out the issue,” he said.

The release of any film, cleared by the censor board, must not be disrupted by external pressure groups, said Sarathkumar.

“We will soon sit down with other bodies and pass a resolution that protects films against censorship by various pressure groups. Freedom of expression is guaranteed in our Constitution. As far as Lyca is concerned, it is our belief that he (Subaskaran Allirajah) is not what he is made out to be because Lycamobile is widely used by Eelam Tamils themselves,” he said.

Vijay-starrer Kaththi, bedevilled by controversies over the producers’ reported proximity with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, will hit the screens on Deepavali sans their name. ( with inputs from The Hindu)