A Valliyur court in Tirunelveli has summoned actor Kamal Haasan to appear before it on May 5. This after a PIL was filed by members of the Hindu Makkal Katchi last month against Kamal Haasan for allegedly making derogatory comments about the Mahabharata.
In an interview to Tamil channel Puthiya Thalamurai editor Karthigaichelvan in March, Kamal Haasan, while referring to Mahabharata, had said that a woman is gambled away in the epic and that India honours such a book.
Following this, the members of Hindu Makkal Katchi had filed a PIL at Valliyur court in Tirunelveli. A complaint was also filed by them at the Chennai City Police Commissionerate on March 15. The Akila Hindu Mahasabha also filed a complaint against the actor with the Collector in Coimbatore last month.
Rama Ravikumar, state Secretary of HMK, had called the actor "anti-Hindu" and said that his comments have hurt their religious sentiments. He had earlier told TNM, "Kamal Haasan said that Mahabharata talks about a woman (Draupadi) who was used as a pawn and was gambled away, and that this country reads such a book. There was no need for him to say these things. It has hurt our sentiments and who is he to talk about the Mahabharata?" asked Ravikumar.
He had also said, “Kamal Haasan does not have the guts to talk against any other religion. He is an anti-Hindu person, so we complained against him. If he talks against the Quran or the Bible, the minorities will protest and create a problem for him. We have been suffering for long but haven't been saying anything.”