Madras High Court asked how the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) could refuse certification to the Vetrimaaran's film Manushi without mentioning the objectionable scenes, dialogues, music, which is required to be edited before public screening.
The judge has said "Making a movie is a part of the right to speech and expression. As such, the filmmakers are already suffering from a lot of difficulties. You cannot deny certification for an entire movie without specifying the objectionable portions and expect a filmmaker to shoot the entire movie afresh. "
The judge also said that unless the objectionable portions of the movie were given by the CBFC, the producer would be in the dark without knowing which parts of the film were to be edited and with huge monetary loss, as the entire movie had been completed.
Manushi is produced by Vetrimaaran’s Grassroot Film Company. The film also stars actors Nasser, Tamizh, Hakkim Shah, and Balaji Sakthivel.
Renowned musician Ilaiyaraaja has composed the music for the film. The trailer, released by actor Vijay Sethupathi in April 2024, had received acclaim on social media.
In September 2024, the CBFC refused to certify the film, claiming that it portrays the central government in a bad light and features scenes that might confuse or misrepresent an ideology. These objections led to a halt in the film's release, creating discussions around freedom and censorship in Indian cinema.
The makers of Raghava Lawrence's Film Benz have revealed that Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly will play the baddie opposite him in Benz.
The announcement was made with a video which featured Nivin Pauly's character, who is seen standing with a gold hammer which is dripping in blood.
Nivin Pauly is Walter In Lokesh Kanagaraj's Benz
The tweet from the makers read "Meet #Walter, Our very own certified Baddie AKA @nivinofficial". The video sees Walter dressed in chunks of gold jewellery, shiny gold teeth, surrounded by mannequins dressed in sarees. There seems be another Nivin Pauly, who is clad in a simple t-shirt, lungi and devouring a greasy dish. He seems reveal the details of Benz (played by Raghava Lawrence), and Walter promises to kill the man who wears the helmet. The video ends with his saying "Beautiful heart, dirty mind...deadly combo...love you Walter."
About Benz
Raghava Lawrence plays the lead in this action-packed film. Directed by Remo fame Bakkiyaraj Kannan, the film is part of the most-loved Lokesh Kanagaraj Cinematic Universe (LCU).
