Thaindian News

Chennai, Nov 23 (IANS) DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M.Karunanidhi Wednesday said the controversial movie “Dam 999″ should not be released at a time when the state and Kerala are fighting over the Mullaperiyar Dam.

In a statement issued here, Karunanidhi claimed that at a time when there is a case in the Supreme Court about Mullaperiyar Dam, the film has been produced with a hidden agenda.

According to him, there will be law and order problem in Tamil Nadu and Kerala if the movie is released.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the Mullaperiyar dam built under an agreement signed in 1886 between the then maharaja of Travancore and the British administration.

The dam, located in Kerala’s Idukki district, serves Tamil Nadu, which is demanding that its height be raised from 136 feet (41.5 m) to 142 feet (43 m) to meet the increasing demand of water for irrigation. Kerala, however, is seeking construction of a new dam, saying that the existing structure had outlived its life.

While the Supreme Court gave its order in favour of Tamil Nadu to raise the storage levels to 142 ft in February 2006, the Kerala government passed a law effectively nullifying the judgment in March that year.

Opposing the Kerala law, Tamil Nadu had filed a case in the Supreme Court in 2006.

“Dam 999″ with the central theme bursting of dam has raised a controvery in Tamil Nadu resulting in demand for banning the movie.

MDMK chief Vaiko charged that the movie refers to the 999 year lease over the Mullaperiyar Dam.

The film’s producer and director Sohan Roy, who had earlier made a documentary on the Mullaperiyar Dam with the theme that the disaster is waiting to happen, denies his movie has anything to do with Mullaperiyar Dam.

Shot in Kerala, Ooty in Tamil Nadu and Dubai, the movie is made in English and is dubbed in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam.

The Tamil Nadu Film Exhibitors Association Wednesday declared that the movie will not be screened by its members.