NEW DELHI: Former BJP leader K Annamalai on Friday slammed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over its clearance of actor Yash‘s latest film ‘Toxic’, raising concerns about its portrayal of women and violence.Speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, the ‘We the Leaders foundation’ chief said, “…Regulations should be tightened…. The censorship board must make firm decisions regarding which scenes are permissible, even in films starring major actors.”Annamalai expressed concern about the impact of films that, according to him, portray women in a “problematic” manner.He said such “one particular way” portrayals could influence children and students and undermine efforts to address issues related to women’s safety.He also questioned how women’s safety could be ensured if young people were exposed to excessive violence and problematic depictions of women in films.Responding to the comment, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president Gurunadham said he did not support Annamalai’s remarks but agreed that violence in films needed to be addressed.“I am not going to support Mr Annamalai’s statement from Tamil Nadu, but thing is, as far as the film certificate is concerned, issued central government or by the state governments, with regard to the violence, is to be curbed with an iron hand,” he said.“Why? Because after seeing, teenage boys are adopting the same line of actions in even in their regular life also, that’s very bad to the nation and also to the society,” he added.Annamalai’s remarks come as ‘Toxic’, directed by Geetu Mohandas and starring Yash, continues to draw attention following its release on Wednesday.
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The pan-India Kannada action drama collected Rs 108 crore net in India on its opening day across all languages except English, according to its makers.The film, reportedly made on a budget of over Rs 500 crore, was released in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.The makers said ‘Toxic’ collected Rs 55.4 crore net in Hindi on its opening day, surpassing the Rs 53.95 crore opening of Yash’s ‘KGF: Chapter 2’. The film also stars Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Rukmini Vasanth and Huma Qureshi.