Mani Ratnam has been shooting for his period drama titled Ponniyin Selvan along with his team for the past few months. Since it is a period war story, the makers have used a lot of horses during the shooting. Unfortunately, in a recent accident, a horse passed away after it was involved in a head-on collision.
Soon after, PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) India filed a complaint. On the basis of the complaint, an FIR was filed by Abdullapurmet Police against Mani Ratnam’s production house Madras Talkies and the owner of the horse. The Animal Welfare Board has also called in Mani Ratnam for an inquiry. The Abdullapurmet police registered an FIR under Section 11 of the PCA Act, 1960, and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
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.”
As per reports, the owner of the horse let the makers of the film use the animal despite it being tired and dehydrated. After the FIR was filed, the Animal Welfare Board of India has called on the district collector of Hyderabad and the Telangana State Animal Welfare Board to conduct an inquiry on the horse’s death.
Meanwhile, it has been Mani Ratnam’s dream to adapt the Tamil literary novel Ponniyon Selvan into a film. The film which will be released in two parts stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Trisha, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Prakash Raj, and Jayaram, among others.
