Sun Pictures is yet to get a relief in the ongoing censor certificate issue for Coolie. In the latest development, the Madras High Court had reserved its judgement on the plea challenging A certification granded by the Central Board of Film Certification to Rajinikanth's latest film.
Hearing the case, Justice Thamilselvi reserved its judgement after hearing the arguments of Senior Advocate J Ravindran who appeared for Sun TV and Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan who was representing CBFC board.
Ravindran argued that it is not possible to find Tamil films without a considerable number of fight sequences. He stated that objectionable language has been removed, alcohol-related scenes have been blurred, and all the conditions laid down by the Censor Board have been complied with. He compared the film to movies like KGF, Beast and others and said that the film showed less violence than those movies and was still given the certificate.
Stating the importance of freedom of speech and expression, he also asserted that Coolie does not glorify violence and said that it only showcased violence that was not prohibited under the act.
ARL Sundaresan argued that the film crew, which initially accepted the A certificate, has now filed a case seeking a U/A certificate. He stated that the decision to grant an A certificate was taken unanimously by all the concerned panels as it had strong threating, gruesome killing, smoking and drinking. He added that the filmmakers must remove the violent scenes and then reapply for a U/A certificate.
Sundaresan said that both the examining and revising committees unanimously decided that Coolie was only fit for an A certification.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge reserved the verdict without specifying a date.
Coolie hit theatres on August 14, and since then, a section of the audience has been questioning the reason for granting it A certificate. Coolie has moments of violence and bloodshed, but not everyone is convinced by the Censor Board's decision to issue an A certificate for the film. Sun Pictures had moved to Madras HC to provide a U/A certification for the Lokesh Kanagaraj actioner a week ago.
In its appeal, the production company contended that the A certification was unjustly limiting access to Rajinikanth’s wide-ranging fan base, which includes audiences across all age groups.
Featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Nagarjuna, Sathyaraj, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan and Aamir Khan, among others, the film had already amassed over Rs 257.35 crore across India. This action drama also marks Lokesh Kanagaraj’s first collaboration with Rajinikanth and his sixth directorial outing.
