Ameer to meet Muslim outfits on behalf of Kamal Haasan

Tamil filmmaker Ameer Sultan Thursday said he will meet representatives of 24 Muslim organisations here to discuss the ban on actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan's "Vishwaroopam" and discuss ways to reach an amicable agreement on the film's release in Tamil Nadu.

He will meet the muslim representatives Thursday evening.

"I am meeting the members (of Muslim organisations) today to discuss the matter on behalf of Kamal sir. If we come to a conclusion, then we will release the film the very next minute in the state," Ameer, president of Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI), told reporters here.

Ameer will be accompanied by Chandra Haasan, brother of Kamal and partner in the film production company Raj Kamal Films International.

"Kamal is not needed for the meeting this evening. If he were needed, then he would've been present. We're representing Kamal and the rest of the industry to sit and discuss the matter with members from all the Muslim organisations which have opposed the ban on the film," said Chandra Haasan.

Kamal Haasan is in Mumbai.

The Rs.95 crore espionage thriller was originally scheduled to release in Tamil and Telugu on Jan 25, but a day before the screenings the Tamil Nadu government imposed a two-week ban on the film after some Muslim groups complained that some scenes in the film portrayed the community in a bad light.

On Jan 30, a Madras High Court bench chaired by Justice Dharma Rao reimposed the ban on the film and nullified the lifting of the ban on the film by Justice K. Venkataraman on Jan 29.

Written, produced and directed by Kamal, "Vishwaroopam" features him in the title role. Other members of the cast include Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur and Jaideep Ahlawat.

Its Hindi version "Vishwaroop" is slated to release Friday.