Kamal Haasan threatens to move to 'secular state abroad'

Citing the late M.F. Husain, actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan Wednesday said he could be forced to look for a secular state overseas and even change his passport if the final verdict on his film "Vishwaroopam" was not in his favour.

Stating that he was "fed up,” Kamal said at a press conference: "If there is no secular state in India, I would go overseas. I think Tamil Nadu wants me out. What would change is my passport; I would still be an Indian. I have pledged all my property for the film. I have lost my house because of delay in release."

"Going by what is happening with me, I'm very likely to seek a secular state or country to release my film, on which I've invested my lifetime's savings, including all my assets," Haasan said.

"If by becoming a secular man like M.F. Husain, I can peacefully continue making films, then so be it," an anguished Kamal told reporters, referring to the late artist who died in a London hospital in June 2011 after being forced to leave the country following threats by right-wing activists upset with his paintings of Indian goddesses.

"I have lost all my property for the film, so I have nothing to lose, but choose now. If the judgment is not favourable for me, I have to look out for a secular state abroad. We will get away from this place but will have lot of good memories," the 58-year-old told reporters at a press conference here.

He said he was still trying to understand why "some members with strong political backing" were against his film. "The film is running successfully in other states and the feedback from the audience has also been positive."

The Rs.95 crore espionage thriller, which stars Kamal and is written, produced and directed by him, was banned by the state government after some Muslim groups complained that the film portrayed their community in bad light.

Besides Kamal, who plays the title role, "Vishwaroopam" also features Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur and Jaideep Ahlawat. The Hindi version "Vishwaroop" is slated to release Feb 1. - IANS