A day after the film was banned in Qatar, Kuwait and Malaysia, the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Friday asked the Telangana government to remove "objectionable" content from the Tamil film "FIR", starring Vishnu Vishal, and its promotional material. The party, which is headed by Asaduddin Owaisi, took strong exception to the film poster carrying the 'Shahada' in Arabic, saying this has hurt the sentiments of Muslims.
AIMIM General Secretary and Telangana MLA, Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri, met the state's Minister for Cinematography, T. Srinivas Yadav, and handed him a memorandum demanding action against the film.
The 'Shahadah', one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is a declaration of the believer's faith in the principle of the oneness of God (Allah) and the Prophet being God's Messenger.
"By presenting it in a promotional film poster, the makers of the film have offended the sentiments of Muslims," the AIMIM memorandum said. "Such a representation demeans Islam and its tenets."
The AIMIM delegation urged the minister to take necessary action under Section 8 of Telangana Cinema (Regulation) Act, 1955. "The action may be taken till such time that all objectionable content in the film as well as in the promotional material of the film is removed. This is essential to protect the state's public order and harmony," their memorandum added.
The story of the film, which is an action thriller, revolves around Vishnu Vishal, who plays a Muslim youngster, Irfan Ahmed. He is suspected by the intelligence agencies of being a terrorist. What happens to him is what the film is about.
