'Dam999' director moves Supreme Court against Tamil Nadu

Filmmaker Sohan Roy, director and producer of the controversial movie Dam999, said he would appeal against the ban imposed on his film in Tamil Nadu.

Roy told media that the ban was a violation of his right of free expression, and that it made no sense to ban a film cleared by the Censor Board.

“What we are challenging in the Supreme Court is very clear. It is a violation of fundamental right. As a filmmaker, I have the right that when I make a movie, when I get a censor certificate, I have the right to show the movie in any of the states. How can a movie be banned after censorship? That is the question. (If there is) any problem, censorship is there,” said Roy.

Further he noted that the people who banned his film had not even seen it at the time the controversy cropped and stirred up.

“I would have appreciated if the ban was made after seeing the movie. We know who all have seen the movie. Only after the censorship, immediately the ban came. Then only we submitted the CD to the government. But by that time, it was too late, because it became a political issue and nobody can step out from that one,” added Roy.

Roy, who has earlier made a documentary on the Mullaperiyar Dam depicted in the film, said that the movie had brought the controversy into a wider circle of debate.

The film depicts the century-old Mullaperiyar Dam, which has been a long running contentious issue between the two neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Kerala wants the structure to be demolished and rebuilt or its height lowered, while Tamil Nadu fiercely opposes the move.

Mullaperiyar Dam was constructed in 1886 during British rule but was washed away, after which a new dam was built in 1895.

Incidentally, the Tamil Nadu government is in charge of this dam as per a 999-year lease that was formulated during the British rule.

At a recent news conference to promote his movie, Roy likened the Banqiao Dam in China, which had collapsed following torrential rains in 1975, to a possible scenario at the Mullaperiyar Dam.