A horse has crippled the release of Imsai Arasan 23 am Pulikesi which was scheduled on May 19 and is now slated for release on July 8, 2006

Link to stills of Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:piYAOXCNJOgJ:www.musicindiaonline.com/st/movie_name/8416/+Imsai+Arasan+23+am+Pulikesi&hl=en&gl=in&ct=clnk&cd=4

The regional censor board in Chennai has refused to give a censor certificate to Shankar produced Imsai Arasan 23 am Pulikesi directed by debutant Simbudevan. The reason- It’s hero Vadivelu rides a horse!

As per the current diktat of Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), it introduced an act in 2001 which prohibits the use of certain animals and birds in films. To use these animals like the horse in Imsai Arasan 23 am Pulikesi used by Vadivelu in war scenes, Simbudevan and Shankar should have taken the prior approval of AWBI and shot the sense with a veterinary doctor on the sets to oversee that the animal was not ill-treated!

But since Shankar and Simbudevan did not even know of such rules, they had shot the scenes without getting the approval. Now the censor board is plainly refusing to give certificate without an NOC (No-Objection Certificate) from AWBI.

After director producer Shankar and Vadivelu, the hero of Imsai Arasan 23 am Pulikesi had met the Chief Minister Karunanidhi and bitterly complained to him about the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), things moved fast.

The Animal Welfare division of the Environment and Forests has issued a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) to the film. All the films pending before AWBI were also issued certificates.

The movie is slated for release on July 8, 2006

(with inputs from Sify.com)

(Hope to add a photograph of the hoarding during the week end)