More trouble in store for Vishal?

Speaking in favour of Mersal has landed Vishal in trouble yet again! The President of the Tamil Film Producers’ Council has been facing a lot of flak from the politicians. In a chat, he talks to us about the controversy.

Q Your firm stand against the move to delete the ‘GST’ reference in Mersal has put you  in the spotlight?
In a spot or in the  spotlight ? More people with a voice and that includes film personalities, need  to speak out against government policies that don’t work. Checks and balances are important  to every individual and every organisation. There has to be accountability. We elect our government representatives for five years, that’s where the problem lies. They are free to  do what they want for five years. That’s where someone like me comes in.

Q But look at the price you paid for your courage of conviction. You production office was raided a  day after you spoke out?
Maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the  raid was just a routine action taken by the IT department and not related to my stand on Mersal.
However if this is what happens for speaking out — then I should prepare myself for further attacks. Because this weekend in the new Mohanlal-starrer Villain, I’ve addressed the meat issue.

Q Now you will have the Gau Rakshaks trying to cow you down...
(laughs) It is possible and I am prepared for it. Villain is my first film in Malayalam. I have wanted to play a grey character for a long time.

Q So the hero of the moment is going to be the villain this weekend?
I don’t quite see what is so heroic about standing  up for what is right. We all need to do that. I’ve been questioning government policies regularly. By now  my family and friends know I can’t be silenced on matters that affect society. And healthcare in our country which Vijay has spoken about in Mersal, is an issue that should worry the nation.

The poor  get no medical treatment. And why just the poor? Even  the  rich and the privileged suffer due to medical negligence. I lost my best friend to cancer due to a wrong diagnosis.

Q Did you speak out against the attempt to silence anti-government dialogues in Mersal  because of your friendship with Vijay?
No, it is something I’d have done for any of my colleagues. But yes, Vijay is a friend. We went to college together. But that is not the point. The point is, why act censorious  when the CBFC has already passed the film and the portions you are now objecting to? To compound  the absurdity we had a politician from  the BJP proudly proclaiming he saw Mersal online. Apparently he didn’t know piracy is illegal. Or maybe he  didn’t care! We can’t afford to have politicians setting such deplorable examples for the public.

Q So you feel Vijay was absolutely right in talking about it?
Why only Vijay or me? We all need to address the problems that plague our society. It’s not about just one state in India or one artform — cinema. Voices need to be heard from every section of society. Why is it that when a politician suffers a little anxiety palpitation he is rushed to a 5-star medical centre while the poor die on the streets?

Q When an actor speaks against socio-political inequity, he is immediately trolled...
Keeping  quiet is not an option for me. It  should  not be  an option for anyone, or any actor. It  won’t do for an actor to say, ‘I’ve done my job on the sceen. What happens outside is not my problem.’ If you have a  voice I feel you must use it. Vijay has been addressing socio-political  issues regularly in his cinema.

Q But what happens when you get targeted after speaking out ?
 You face it! You face the backlash, the vendetta and the trolling. You just have to speak out or there will be  no accountability. To take an example, what happened to the cash worth '570 crore that was seized in a bag in Tirupur? What  happened  to that money? Where did  it go? Where does  the taxpayers’ money go?

Q Speaking  of tax, what happened with the IT raid?
It was a TDS problem. Luckily my papers are all in order. So to those who want to silence me all I can say is, bring it on!