Madras High Court dismisses Sun Pictures’ plea against ‘A’ certificate for Rajinikanth’s Coolie

The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by Sun Pictures, the producers of Rajinikanth’s latest film Coolie, challenging the ‘A’ (adults only) certificate granted to the movie [Sun TV Network Vs Central Board of Film Certification]..Justice TV Thamilselvi pronounced the judgment this morning. The Court said that the plea has no merit. "Subject movie was viewed in its entirety, keeping in mind the objectives of the Act, and the Committees followed the guidelines for certification of films for public exhibition with paramount consideration of social impact on young generation. Therefore, the contention of the appellant is devoid of merits. Hence this Court finds that the grounds raised by the appellant are not sustainable in law. Accordingly, the Civil Miscellaneous appeal is dismissed as on merits," the Court held. .The case assumes importance since this is the first Rajinikanth film in over three decades to receive an ‘A’ certificate, the last instance being Siva (1989). The producers had argued that an 'A' rating restricts family audience, a vital segment for a mass entertainer..During the hearing of the matter, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ARL Sundaresan appeared for the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and defended the decision to give the film an 'A' Certificate.He argued that 'Coolie' has several violent and extremely threatening scenes and that there were depictions of frequent smoking and drinking, which were not suitable for children to view. The ASG contended that both the examining and revising committee of the CBFC had agreed that the film should get an 'A' (adults only) certificate. He said that the CBFC had also offered to grant a U/A certificate (unrestricted with parental guidance) for the film if the film makers agreed to make more cuts to the film. However, the makers told the CBFC that they were not ready to cut any more scenes from the film, he said.The ASG added that the film was certified on August 4 but the challenge to its certification was mounted only on August 18. .The counsel for Sun Pictures strongly opposed these arguments. It was contended that the ‘A’ certificate was dissuading families from watching the film thereby, directly impacting ticket sales and audience reach. The producers maintained that the certificate was arbitrary and inconsistent, particularly when other action-heavy films such as the KGF franchise were given a U/A rating despite showcasing greater levels of violence..Despite the certification row, Coolie has enjoyed massive commercial success, grossing an estimated ₹400 crore worldwide in its first week..Sun Network was represented by Senior Counsel Ravindran, and advocates M Sneha, Vimal Mohan and Dinesh. ASG AR L Sundaresan assisted by advocate A Kumaraguru appeared for the CBFC..[Read Judgment]