Agitated over the deletion of 'Jallikattu' (bull fight) scene from 'Mirugam', following the objection of Animal Welfare Board of India, the crew of the movie went on a fast on December 25. They protested against a "ban on depicting Jallikattu in Tamil cinema". Producer Karthik Jai headed the protest that took place in Chepauk, Chennai.
Jallikattu, is a traditional sport of bravery conducted in rural Tamil Nadu during the harvest festival Pongal. The deletion has irked not only those concerned with the movie, but also many of those, who have been involving in Jallikattu for many years. Many youngsters who take part in the sport participated in the protest along with the organizers of Jallikattu events in places like Theni and Madurai.
The Censor Board suggested deletion of the scene following an objection by the Animal Welfare Board of India due to alleged cruelty to animals in the sport. The movie was released on December 14 after cutting the scene.
Producer Karthik Jai, who along with Director Samy and actor Adhi sat on protest, told reporters that there should be "no ban of any kind on portraying a sport like Jallikattu."
Earlier it was announced that the actor and producer of the film would take out a protest march but it was later dropped with the crew opting to observe fast.
The director has been telling the media that the scene is one of the most important scenes.
