Mani Ratnam, FIR against Mani Ratnam, Ponniyin Selvan

Director Mani Ratnam and his team who are busy shooting the upcoming magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan have landed in a trouble. As per the latest reports, a horse who was part of the shoot died at the shoot location. The horse apparently got involved in a head-on collision and died. Since the film is a period drama, the makers are using a lot of horses. PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) India has filed a complaint and even an FIR was lodged by Abdullapurmet Police against Madras Talkies (production house of Mani Ratnam) management and the owner of the horse.

The police have registered an FIR under Section 11 of the PCA Act, 1960, and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. We also got know to know that Animal Welfare Board has even called in Mani Ratnam for an inquiry. They even asked the district collector of Hyderabad and the Telangana State Animal Welfare Board to conduct an inquiry on the horse’s death.

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Reportedly, the owner of the horse allowed the makers of the movie to use the animal despite being tired and dehydrated. In a statement, PETA India Chief Advocacy Officer Khushboo Gupta said, “In the age of computer-generated imagery (CGI), production companies have no excuse for forcing exhausted horses to play at war until one of them drops dead.”

Speaking of Ponniyin Selvan, the ongoing schedule of the movie is currently underway at a brisk pace in Madhya Pradesh. The mega movie stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Trisha, Jayam Ravi, Karthi and Prakash Raj among others. The film is being adapted from a Tamil literary novel Ponniyin Selvan. The movie will be made in two parts and composer AR Rahman, cinematographer Ravi Varman and editor Sreekar Prasad were brought on board.

Also Read: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s look from Mani Ratnam’s period film Ponniyin Selvan LEAKED: View pic