Actor Kamal Haasan has been reportedly summoned by the Valliyur Court today for his remarks about Mahabharata. The actor has been asked to come to court on May 5 for a hearing of his case after a right-winged Hindutva group filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in March.
In a televised interview, the actor had said that Indians give a lot of respect to a book [the Mahabharata] which shows men gambling using a woman (Draupadi) as collateral. “In Mahabharata, Panchali was used as a pawn while the men gambled. She was used as a collateral. And India is a country that respects and honours a book that revolves around men using a woman to gamble away as if she were a mere object,” he said.
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The TV interview was aired on March 12, and the complaint was filed by Adhinatha Sundaram of the HMK on March 15 at a Tirunelveli district court.
Read: Kamal Haasan Criticises Mahabharata For Gambling With Draupadi; Pro-Hindu Group Files PIL
Kamal Haasan has always been vocal about political issues, voicing his opinion during the Jallikattu debate in January, and organising a press conference and expressing his thoughts over the violence that escalated following the protests. He also criticised the scenario in Tamil Nadu when the state was in political turmoil.