Tamil Nadu govt bans screening of movie 'Dam 999'

The TN govt on Thursday banned the screening of film 'Dam 999' in the state. The film is believed to be based on Mullaperiyar dam.

CHENNAI: Bowing to pressure from political parties in the state, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday announced that the screening of the controversial film 'Dam999' would be banned in the state. The terse two-line official statement merely stated, "The Tamil Nadu government has decided to ban with immediate effect the film Dam999, which is creating fear among the people regarding the Mullaperiyar dam."

Political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the main opposition DMK, have demanded a ban on the film "in the interests of the people" of the state. The English film was scheduled for a worldwide release on November 25.

Jayalalithaa, who was busy the last two days with her appearance in a special court in Bangalore in a corruption case, broke her silence on Thursday and made clear her government's stand on the film, based on a real life incident of a 1975 dam disaster in China that reportedly killed more than 2 lakh people.