Controversial scenes from Mersal to be chopped

After facing multiple issues, Mersal finally released this week. But now, another issue has cropped up post-release, with Mersal’s makers facing political pressure and a consequent demand to cut two scenes that have been deemed to be objectionable. The scenes in question mock the impact of the GST system among other initiatives by the government.

In one scene, when a character attempts to rob Vadivelu’s character, he thanks digital India for not leaving him in possession with any liquid cash. Vijay’s character, in another scene, claims that "people in India pay a GST tax of around 28 percent, but they do not even get access to free medical treatment." He also raises questions about the imposition of 12 percent tax on medicines, which are supposed to save people's life.

Following political pressure, Mersal's producer, Murali Ramaswamy of Thenandal Studios Limited, has now agreed to remove these scenes from the film.