EC urged to stall NOTA' release
The film is scheduled for screening for certification on October 1 at Prasad Film Labaratory.
Hyderabad: NOTA, the bilingual movie in Telugu and Tamil, which is slated to release on October 5, is facing headwinds as having the constitutionally recognised ‘None of The Above’ (NOTA) electoral option as a film title could unduly influence the electorate in the poll-bound Telangana state.
The film is scheduled for screening for certification on October 1 at Prasad Film Labaratory.
Apprehending that the electorate may press the NOTA option on electronic voting machines under the influence of the “political thriller”, Mr Jagadeeswar Reddy, a former regional film censor board member, urged the Chief Election Commissioner to defer its release in Telangana state until the elections were over.
He said that the first-time voters under the influence of the lead actor Vijay Devarakonda, who gained popularity with the film Arjun Reddy, may wrongly be motivated to toe the film line and misutilise their NOTA option instead of exercising the democratic right to elect a responsible government.
He demanded that the censor board clear the film for exhibition only after it was shown to the DGP, Chief Electoral Officer, Chief Secretary and other Constitutional position holders.
NOTA is directed by Anand Shankar. It stars Vijay Deverakonda and Mehreen Pirzada, in the lead roles. Produced by Studio Green, this film will have Sam C.S. as music director while Ravi K. Chandran’s son, Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran handles the cinematography.