"Vishwaroopam" running in Kerala theatres despite protests

Actor-director Kamal Haasan's "Vishwaroopam" continues to run in theatres in Kerala despite protests from a section of Muslim organisations, police sources said here today.

Adequate protection was being given for the screening of the movie which has been cleared by the Censor Board, the sources said. However, movie shows were disrupted in some parts of Ernakulam, Idukki and Palakkad districts.

In Palakkad, pro-CPI (M) Democratic Youth Federation of India forced closure of all theatres after the screening of the movie was withdrawn from a theatre, saying no film would be allowed to screen if the Kamal Haasan film was withdrawn.

Muslim outfits like Social Democratic Party of India staged protests against the film across the state. Kerala Film Exhibitors Association president V Mohanan said the film was successfully running in all centres where the police was giving protection. "In some theatres, the shows were disrupted," he said.

CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said that it would be better if the critics of the film left it to the people to see and judge the movie instead of clamouring for its ban. The film was released in Kerala, where about 25 per cent of the population comprises Muslims, yesterday by the Cinema Exhibitors' Association and the Kerala State Film Development Corporation.