A case has been filed against actor Jyothika and director Bala over the use of an expletive in the teaser of their yet-to-be-released film Naachiyaar. The petition was submitted to a magistrate court in Mettupalayam by Rajan, a driver.

The petition alleges that Jyothika, who plays the character of a police official, uses abusive language against a culprit in one shot. The word used by her, according to the petitioner, denigrates women and is hurtful to their sentiments. The petitioner added that the teaser has also been shared on social media.

In his petition, Rajan has said, “using such language was punishable under Section 294(b) (uttering obscene words) of the IPC and Section 67 (publishing obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.”

"In the teaser, Jyothika uses a terrible word which is insulting to all women. Both society and law do not allow for such language to be used on social media. It is punishable by law," says Rahamathullah, Rajan's advocate.

"But the police, which is quick to arrest the common man who expresses his opinions on social media, has not acted in this case. They need to get permission from the court and arrest the accused persons. If they don't, more people will begin using explicit language to create publicity for their own films," Rahamathullah warns.

The teaser was released by actor Suriya on November 15, and has been surrounded by controversy over the language used by Jyothika since.

In the teaser, we see Jyothika in a never-seen-before avatar, sporting a giant red bindi in some shots and swearing in Tamil as a police officer in another. Bala's films often feature a grim, sordid reality that's a far cry from the prettiness of mainstream cinema. GV Prakash also plays a crucial role in the film.

This is Jyothika's third movie after her hiatus post marriage, and she has been very careful about the roles she selects. The actor has constantly opted for meaty roles and has played strong female characters who pave their own way.