Kanchi films kick up a storm

A still from Meendum Meendum has the hero, played by producer Raghunath, clad in saffron and carrying a holy staff. Beside him is an aide, who Kanchi devotees claims, resembles Raghu, younger brother of junior seer Vijayendra Saraswati. The man resembling Raghu, another accused in the temple murder, and the seer are shown standing near a white Tempo Traveller. The image is a throwback to the time the two seers were appearing at the Kancheepuram court.

Members of the Kanchi Kamakoti Bhakthargal Peravai, a devotees’ forum, have proposed an agitation in front of the studio where Devuda is being shot. The film is about a fake seer and the first scene shot for the movie has a seer being produced in court.

Speaking from Chennai, “Valasai” Jayaraman, the forum’s general secretary, said: ‘‘The swamijis have already been convicted by politicians and the media even before the court commenced trial. How can we remain mute spectators when our religious leaders are being humiliated thus?” The forum has threatened to seek legal redress.

But actor Sathyaraj, who is the “philandering godman” in Devuda, says there has been ‘‘no attempt whatsoever to poke fun” at anybody. ‘‘In fact, to avoid any resemblance to any religious leader in Tamil Nadu, I have dressed in a ‘dhoti’, typical of those worn by men in Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

Elsewhere, the Regional Film Certification Board in Chennai has agreed to release Meendum Meendum only if it snips off scenes parodying Jayendra Saraswat’s arrest in November last year.

But Raghunath counters that the offending scene bears no resemblance and merely shows a fake seer being brought in after being rescued from forest brigand Veerappan.