The highly anticipated Vijay-starrer Beast is all set to release on 13 April. However, as per reports, the film will not be released in Kuwait. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted that the action-comedy-thriller, backed by Sun Pictures, has been banned by the Ministry of Information of the country.
As per Bala, the speculated reason for Beast's ban could be the ‘portrayal of Pakistan’ in the film.
However, Beast is not the first film that has been banned in Kuwait. Citing similar reasons, Dulquer Salmaan's Kurup and Vishnu Vishal's FIR too had been banned.
'Beast' Faces Heat in Tamil Nadu Too
Following Kuwait's ban, the film is facing heat in Tamil Nadu too. Mustafa, the leader of the Tamil Nadu Muslim League party, has issued a statement seeking a ban on the film as well. The statement reads, “The film industry has been creating an impression that Muslims are extremists, as is often the case in Tamil films where Islamists are portrayed as extremists. We see social organisations expressing strong opposition to the inclusion of their caste identity and even the names of caste leaders in film characters. But it is a matter of great sorrow that the scenes in the films continue to be as if only the Islamists are engaged in a culture of bombing and gunfire and acting against the peace and sovereignty of the country".
It added, "No one can forget the work done by Islamic organisations during the 2015 Great Flood. The organisations have buried the bodies of those who died in the Corona disaster, even when their relatives refused to touch them. When it comes to disasters like this, no one can deny that the Islamic youth are still carrying out relief work in the field, risking their lives".
Mustafa's statement further stated, "It has been reported that the Beast movie features Islamists as extremists, when the reality is like this. Islamists currently observe fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. In this context, the problem will arise if Vijay’s Beast movie, which portrays Islamists as extremists, is released. Therefore, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Muslim League, I urge Home Secretary SK Prabhakar to ban the release of the film Beast”.
The trailer, which was out on Saturday, showed glimpses of high-octane action sequences. Vijay appears to be a solider who, by chance, is present inside a mall hijacked by the terrorists.
Beast marks Vijay’s 65th film, featuring Pooja Hegde as the female lead. Selvaraghavan and Yogi Babu also play important roles.
The film’s shoot was put on hold due to the COVID-induced lockdown. Beast will clash at the box office with Yash’s KGF 2.
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