Madras HC directs T.N. police to provide protection to theatres screening Vijay Deverakonda-starrer Kingdom in case of disruptions

The Madras Excessive Courtroom on Thursday (August 7, 2025) directed the Tamil Nadu police to supply ample safety to cinema theatres screening Vijay Deverakonda-starrer Kingdom if there have been stories of threats issued to theatre house owners or of the screening being disrupted by any particular person/organisation.

Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy handed the orders whereas disposing of a writ petition filed by SSI Manufacturing, which had bagged the Tamil Nadu theaterical rights of the film, complaining about threats issued to theatre house owners by Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) members throughout the State.

The petitioner’s counsel informed the courtroom that NTK chief coordinator S. Seeman had tweeted towards the film on his X deal with on August 4, 2025, alleging that it portrays the Tamil Eelam situation in a derogatory method and since then, his get together members had begun to disrupt the screenings in lots of theatres.

He performed to the courtroom movies of the film’s posters and flex boards having been broken in some locations and claimed that in some theatres, the protesters had entered the cinema corridor and registered their objection to its content material in an try and dissuade the general public from watching the film.

Letters written by NTK members to a few of the theatre house owners within the State had been additionally produced earlier than the courtroom. Authorities Advocate (legal facet) mentioned, to date, 16 individuals had been arrested in reference to the difficulty and that mutiple demonstrations had been performed by the NTK cadre.

Alternatively, advocate S. Shankar, representing Mr. Seeman, informed the courtroom his consumer, being the chief of a political get together, had solely opposed the content material of the film however had not prevented anybody from screening it. He additionally mentioned solely peaceable protests had been undertaken towards the film in a democratic method.

Stating that a number of remoted incidents resulting in the arrest of 16 folks needn’t be blown out of proportion, he mentioned, it was not proper on the a part of the makers of Kingdom to painting as if all Sri Lankan Tamils weren’t natives however solely migrants, and that every one of them had been indulging in unlawful actions corresponding to smuggling.

Intervening at this level, Justice Chakravarthy mentioned, “You and I’ll not agree with the content material of the film if it is extremely very abhorrent as you say… Some points could also be near our coronary heart however one other particular person might have a special view on that. The creative freedom in a democracy must be protected at all times.”

In the identical breath, agreeing {that a} political get together additionally has a proper to register its protest, the choose mentioned, such protest have to be performed after acquiring due permission from the police and at a spot earmarked by the police for the conduct of demonstrations, quick, and so forth, he mentioned.

“In a democracy, the creator of a film has acquired each proper to specific his truthful views. On this case, it’s the particular case of the writ petitioner that Kingdom is a piece of fiction. Even when the views expressed in a film are abhorrent or unpalatable, no third get together can forestall the exhibition of the film or threaten the theatre house owners after the censor board had cleared it for screening in theatres,” the choose mentioned.