When Thalapathy Vijay faced political and animal issues with 'Mersal' amid 'Jana Nayagan's postponement due to censor row

Before 'Jana Nayagan' ran into censor trouble, Thalapathy Vijay had already seen a much bigger storm with 'Mersal'. The film did not face issues from just one place. It drew objections from political parties, doctors’ groups, and official boards. Some people were unhappy with the film’s sharp comments on GST, medical practices, and Digital India. The noise around the film grew fast. Many discussions moved away from cinema and focused only on the controversy.One major issue came from the Animal Welfare Board of India. The board said it had not given the needed NOC for the film. This NOC is required before a movie can get certified. Still, the makers announced on October 6, 2017, that the film had received a U/A certificate. Later, the CBFC clarified that no certificate had been issued. In the year 2017, an AWBI source explained to TOI City on how the problem started. The source said, “The team started shooting after getting pre-shoot permissions from us. They have used a lot of animals in the film and they got permissions for this part by part.”He added that during a shoot at Binny Mills, animals and birds were used without permission. “For a shoot that happened in Binny Mills, we came to know that they were shooting with animals and birds for which they did not take permission for — macaque, cockatoos, pigeons and snakes.” By the time officials reached the set, the animals were gone.See More: Jana Nayagan Movie Release Date Postponed Live Updates: Madras High Court to give verdict on Vijay’s film todayThe source said feathers and droppings were found, and a case was filed. Later, the makers applied for permission for scenes already shot. “So, we rejected it, saying that they had shot the scenes without getting permissions.” The team promised not to use those scenes. About suppliers, the source said, “They told us that the suppliers had run away and they did not have their details! It was implausible.”More problems followed. Horses and camels were shown performing though permission was only for background presence. The board rejected the NOC again. On another scene, the makers claimed the birds were CG but gave no proof. For a snake scene, documents mentioned a king cobra, but footage showed an Indian cobra. “Indian cobras come under the Wildlife Protection Act, so we couldn’t give permission.”CBFC official MM Mathialagan also spoke about the confusion. He said, “I don’t know why the team announced on social media that their project has been censored.” He added, “With such a big project, one which has huge expectations, what the makers did is beyond understanding.”With all these issues, 'Mersal' hit the big screens with much force and till now, it is considered as Vijay's best commercially packed entertainer. The movie was later remade in Bollywood as 'Baby John' which tanked at the box office.