3 Feb – Controversial Tamil movie "Vishwaroopam" is given a second chance locally as the Home Ministry will be sitting down with film distributor, Lotus Five Star, for a meeting to discuss its situation. Speaking to the media at an event in Felda Ulu Belitong, Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin promised that the meeting would take place next week as they need time to review and find a proper solution to the matter. "The owner of the distribution company is a close friend of mine and I have no doubts that we will be able to come up with an amicable solution to the problem," he said.
Judging by Hishamuddin's reply, the chances of "Vishwaroopam" re-emerging in local cinemas are quite high. The movie was initially approved by the Film Censorship Board with a release date of Jan 24. Only a handful of lucky fans in Malaysia who pre-booked tickets were able to catch the movie before the approval for the film release was quickly withdrawn the next day following a Home Ministry directive. The film, starring actor-director Kamal Hassan had sparked controversy for allegedly insulting the Muslim community.