A. M. R. Ramesh to pay Rs. 25 lakh compensation to forest brigand’s wife

Director A. M. R. Rameshseems to have invited problems for himself through his Tamil movieVana Yuddham.The Supreme Court has asked Ramesh to pay Rs. 25 lakh as compensation to the wife of brigand Veerappan,Muthulakshmi. The film is a bilingual and is based on the life of notorious forest brigandVeerappan.

Ramesh anguishly said, "Why is it that it's always the filmmaker whose freedom of expression gets curbed? I've spoken with people related to Veerappan, his close friends and eye witnesses, have interviews from his associates and also have government documents that are available in the public domain to validate my story. So, how am I in the wrong?"

The director added saying thatMuthulakshmi has asked for1.5 crore and an additional 60 lakh for every language released in the film. He expressed his grief saying that he is going through a financial crisis because of the court’s decision. He added saying, "I'm not challenging the Supreme Court's order, but I'm appalled how the issue has moved to 'money' from 'safety' for Muthulakshmi. She wanted 32 cuts and I obliged. She raised an objection even after that and only after the court insisted, she watched the film. She's forgotten all about safety and is now behind money".