The Telangana High Court on Friday, December 29, ordered the censor certificate for filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma’s movie Vyooham to be suspended. The film was originally supposed to release on November 10 this year but has been postponed owing to legal complications. The interim order was passed and the next hearing in the matter was posted to January 11, 2024.
Vyooham, which is supposed to be a biopic of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has been courting controversy after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) filed a plea saying that the filmmakers were acting “at the behest of political rivals.” According to the Times of India, the plea filed by TDP said, “They named our leader and party directly in the movie and defamed us openly. They have even used sub judice matters for this purpose.”
Meanwhile, the filmmakers contended that artistic expression cannot be censored and since it had been censored earlier, the film’s release cannot be stalled.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) informed the court that it had earlier rejected permission for releasing the movie but gave permission after certain deletions were made. The CBFC further contended that it had followed all the rules of the Cinematograph Act and delaying the release of the movie would amount to violation of the Act’s principles, TOI reported.
The Court was also informed that Ram Gopal Varma had included a disclaimer at the beginning of the film saying Vyooham is based on real events but cinematic liberties were used. The filmmakers were also directed to remove the phrase mugguru ammayilatho (three girls) and former Chief Minister NT Rama Rao’s name from the film.