Court puts on hold release of web series Veerappan: Hunger for killing

Bengaluru: Bengaluru city civil and sessions court on Wednesday granted an ex parte ad interim order, restraining AMR Pictures from exhibiting, screening or releasing web series "Veerappan: Hunger for killing" after the slain forest brigand's wife approached the court seeking a permanent injunction.

V. Muthulakshmi submitted an affidavit in the court, contending that the web series was trying to portray her husband in a poor light based on 'false and fabricated stories'. She urged the court to place a permanent injunction on the release of the web series as it's based on false statements and highlighted some details about her marriage to Veerappan.

Confirming the court order, Praveen Gowda, the lawyer representing Muthulakshmi, said, "We have filed a suit seeking a stay on the release of "Veerappan: Hunger for killing" in any form - OTT, YouTube etc - and the court has granted a stay. We have highlighted the right to privacy and here, there is an invasion of privacy. We don't have an issue with the filmmaker making a movie based on public records but he has said that he wants to bring out the truth of Veerappan".

Kannada filmmaker AMR Ramesh is making the web series on Veerappan which has actors Kishore and Bollywood star Suniel Shetty in major roles. Ramesh, who has previously made Attahasa, also based on Veerappan's life, makes films based on historical events.

Reacting to the court order, Muthulakshmi said that It has been 16 years since her husband was killed. Earlier, she approached the Chennai city civil court and later even the Supreme Court had held that the right to privacy should be respected, but last time since the movie was already made, it ordered for a compensation of Rs 25 lakhs. But again, they want to make another film and my family is repeatedly harassed by such portrayal of him.

Prior to Attahasa's release in 2013, the film was challenged in a Chennai court. The case went up to the Supreme Court where a compromise was reached with the makers of the film offering to pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh. Now the injunction has been a major development as Muthulakshmi's daughter Vidhya Rani is all set for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu this year. Vidhya is the vice-president of the BJP's youth wing after joining the party's Tamil Nadu unit in February 2020.

Filmmaker AMR Ramesh will not be able to release the web series on Veerappan on YouTube or an OTT platform until at least the next hearing in this case scheduled for February 6.