CHENNAI: National award winning director Sargunam’s latest flick, Chandi Veeran, seems to have run into rough weather overseas with the film being banned in Singapore. Featuring actors Atharvaa and Anandhi in the lead, it had a global release Friday. However, it was not in
Singapore.
The narrative begins with the hero, Atharvaa, being flogged in what appears to be a Singaporean prison for attempting to overstay in the city state with a fake passport. Sources say the sequences involving the flogging, referred to as Rothaa in the movie, haven’t gone down well with the Censor Board there and that might have been one of the factors resulting in the ban.
Talking to Express, Atharvaa said, “Yes, we got to know of the ban and are trying to resolve the issue. We are trying to explain to the authorities that we meant no disrespect to them. Moreover, we have ended the film on a positive note. We are making an attempt to point out that these sequences will in fact encourage foreigners not to overstay.”
When asked if the crew had actually filmed the flogging sequences in a Singaporean prison, he replied in the negative. He said, “No, the sequences were shot in a studio here. We did not shoot them in Singapore.” On whether they would be willing to scissor the Rothaa portions if the authorities insisted on it, Atharvaa said, “It is kind of difficult to do away with the Rothaa portions as they are linked to the love portions in the film. We are trying our best to explain our standpoint to the authorities and have them revoke the ban.”
Director Sargunam, speaking to Express later in the day sounded optimistic and hopeful. “There seems to be hope as we have been told that the film will release in another five days in Singapore,” he said.