Chennai: Tamil Nadu has banned cinema screenings of the The Da Vinci Code, the second state to do so after protests by minority Christians.
The film cracked the code in New Delhi but it's now Dravidian trouble for Da Vinci Code.
Authorities in Tamil Nadu said late on Wednesday that they acted on complaints that the film — which claims that Jesus married his disciple Mary Magdalene and had a child with her — hurt Christian sentiments.
"This is a government that takes representation from minorities and any other part of the society seriously and that's why we have banned the film," DMK Organisation Secretary, TKS Elangovan said.
However, critics say that Da Vinci Code is just a tool in the hands of the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) which wants to reiterate it's secular credentials. In fact the party has recently repealed former chief minister Jayalalithaa's anti-conversion law also.
"It is disappointing for the movie goers but the government has a point of view and people will now have to watch other movies," MD, Sathyam Cinemas, Kiran Reddy said.
"We were planning to go for the film. This decision is a big let down," an avid moviegoer said.
The movie was to hit theaters on Friday and the sudden ban has meant losses of lakhs of rupees. This incident is yet another casualty in the tussle between politics of secularism and freedom of expression.
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