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Film on slain Marxist rebel to be released amid 'CPi(M) threats'

The theatres at Vatakara, the birth place of Chandrashekharan, that had earlier agreed to show the film withdrew at the last minute.

Trivandrum: The withdrawal of certain theatres in Kerala from screening a film on slain Communist Party of India (Marxist) rebel leader T P Chandrasekharan has raised eyebrows in political circles in the state.
State Minister for Cinema and Forest Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said that he had received complaints from the director of the film entitled 'TP 51', Moithu Thazhath, alleging hand of the CPI(M) behind the withdrawal.
The theatres at Vatakara, the birth place of Chandrashekharan, that had earlier agreed to show the film withdrew at the last minute. The minister said that the film director had told him that this was following threats from the local CPI (M) workers.
Radhakrishnan alleged that the CPI (M) had also influenced the Censor Board not to clear the film, which portrays the political life and brutal murder of the rebel leader. The CPI (M) is upset with the film as it alludes to the role of the party leaders in the murder of Chandrashekharan, who was ousted from the party after he pointed out its ideological deviations.
Three senior CPI (M) leaders were among 12 people found guilty of the murder by a special court in Calicut. Though the party had denied any role in the incident, it had opposed the production of the film from the very beginning. Many actors approached by the director had backed out without citing any reason.
This forced him to approach actors from Tamil and Kannada cinema field to play leading roles.
Ramesh, who is playing the role of Chandrasekharan, was also threatened. The party workers allegedly warned him to stop acting in the movie or face the consequences.
The director had also complained attempts by the CPI (M) to stop the shooting of the movie. He alleged that he and his family members were thrown out from their rented house by the party workers. They had also warned him to keep away from doing the film.
The film also faced hurdles from the Censor Board, which delayed the certificate resulting in postponement of the release of the film. The film was finally cleared for release on Friday with the certificate of revising committee.
The Cinema Minister said that he was dismayed by the attempts being made by the CPI (M) to derail the screening of the film as the party had always stood for creative freedom. He said that the government would facilitate the screening of film in the government-run theatres if private movies withdraw from screening the film.