Vishal, who has been caught in the midst of a controversy for his association with PETA, has issued a detailed press release clarifying his stand. Here we bring you the important transcript from the release.
"There has been a lot of speculation on my stance on ‘Jallikattu’. I was deeply disappointed when there was no favorable reply from the court. I did not mention a single word against the practice of the age-old tradition ‘Jallikattu’ anywhere in the interview as I was an ardent supporter of ‘Jallikattu’. My association with animal welfare goes long way but the reason I support ‘Jallikattu’ is something more personal. I have spent most of my film career shooting in Madurai. The people of Madurai have always taken good care of me and made me feel at home and this was the main reason I preferred more of Madurai-based subjects in my movies."
"However, I had noticed that recently a video with Misleading Content is doing the rounds in the social media contradicting my original views to hoodwink people into believing that I support the Jallikattu Ban, this is completely a false propaganda against me. I humbly request you to understand I did not and will never raise my voice against ‘Jallikattu.'"
"Also, I would like to make special mentions to the efforts of the youth who stood at the beach on January 8th 2017 protesting the ‘Jallikattu Ban’ and ‘Farmers issue’ you guys are the true heroes who created the first Spark that has made the entire world turns towards this issue. I admire your ‘spirit’ and ‘Courage’."
