The Tamil Nadu government has again banned the Mullaperiyar dam controversy film ‘Dam 999’. Nine years ago, the film was banned in Tamil Nadu since its release. Even though the Supreme Court has given permission to screen the movie, the Tamil Nadu government alone has not given permission to screen the film. When the ban expired yesterday, the government renewed the order.
Tamil Nadu continues to ban the film, claiming that the story of the film, which was released in 2011, is similar to the Mullaperiyar Dam. Dam 999 is a film about an old, dilapidated Dam and the tragedy that occurs when it collapses. With that, Tamil Nadu went ahead with measures including obstruction of the Indian Parliament. The film was subjected to brutal actions, including refusing to post posters, imposing fines on theaters that came forward to show it, influencing channels not to take satellite rights, and breaking IMDb ratings by cyber fighters.
Dam 999, directed by Dr. Sohan Roy, has since won numerous international awards. The film made it to the Oscar shortlist with five entries in three categories and qualified for next year’s Golden Rooster Award in twelve categories. Dam 999 is also the first Indian film to be eligible for the Chinese Oscar. The screenplay for the film, written and directed by himself, was also selected for the ‘Permanent Core Collection’ in the Oscar Academy Library. In the following years, Dam 999 was selected for over 130 international film festivals.
