Ilayathalapathy Vijay meets Tamil Nadu CM ahead of Mersal release

Ilayathalapathy Vijay paid a surprise visit to the office of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami on Sunday, 15 October. It is seen as an attempt to be in the good books of the state government, which will ensure that his latest movie Mersal will have a trouble-free release.

Although it is said that Vijay met the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to thank him for reducing the local entertainment tax from 10 to eight percent, rumours say that he requested the state government's support for the trouble-free release of Mersal in a meeting that lasted for 60 minutes.

In the last few days, Mersal has started facing issues one after the other. With the delay in issuing certification from the regional censor board citing it is yet to receive the NOC from the Animal Welfare Board of India for using some animals and birds in the film, there is a fear among fans and distributors whether Mersal will release on time.

Many big movies in the past that include Vijay's Thalaivaa had failed to release on time. Apparently, the films had ran into trouble with the ruling governments in the state where film industry works like a hand in glove with the ruling parties.

The state government is apparently upset with the film industry over Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan's recent political statements and their plans to take a plunge into politics. So, it is rumoured to be trying to have a control on the film industry. To avoid any trouble for Mersal, Vijay has met the Chief Minister, say some unconfirmed reports.pr

Mersal unites Atlee Kumar with Vijay for the second time after Theri. The latest movie, which has Samantha, Kajal Aggarwal and Nithya Menen in the female leads, will release on 18 October.