Kamal Haasan meets Tamil Nadu CM Vijay, makes 6 demands:Calls for govt OTT platform and strong anti-piracy system to curb digital piracy

Actor and politician Kamal Haasan met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Saturday, where he submitted six demands relating to the Tamil film industry. Haasan urged the state government to launch a dedicated OTT platform for Tamil films and documentaries, saying it would allow audiences to access content at more affordable prices. Sharing pictures of the meeting on social media, Haasan wrote that he had personally met the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, referring to him as “brother Vijay” and extending his best wishes. He added that Chief Minister Vijay spoke enthusiastically about his vision for Tamil Nadu’s development, and expressed admiration for the humility and warmth shown during the interaction. He also said that the Tamil film industry is currently facing many challenges and needs the cooperation and support of the Tamil Nadu government. He concluded by writing, “May God ensure that goodness always prevails.” Kamal Haasan placed 6 demands before Vijay 1. Government Tamil OTT platform- Demanded from the state government to launch a government OTT platform for Tamil films and documentaries. He said that this will give audiences the opportunity to watch content at lower prices. 2. 4% entertainment tax should be removed- The cost of making films, releasing them and running theatres has increased. Therefore, the 4% entertainment tax should be removed. 3. Anti-Piracy team should be formed- Suggested forming a special anti-piracy team in the Tamil Nadu Police’s Cyber Crime Department to prevent piracy. He said that piracy causes huge losses to artists, technicians and producers. 4. Permission for 5 shows daily in theatres- He demanded permission to run 5 shows daily for all films in cinema halls across the state. 5. 8 week gap before OTT release- To sustain theatre owners and distributors, a gap of at least eight weeks should be made mandatory before the OTT release of films. 6. Film production incentive scheme should be started- Also appealed to the state government to start a Film Production Incentive Scheme. This would make Tamil Nadu the country’s premier film production centre again. Hasan’s party got 4% votes in 2019 Lok Sabha elections Kamal Haasan is a Rajya Sabha MP. His political party Makkal Needhi Mayyam (MNM) is a regional party of Tamil Nadu. He launched it on 21 February 2018 in Madurai. The party was started with issues like fighting against corruption, rural development and environmental protection at its centre. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, his party received about 4% votes. After this, he contested the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, where he faced a close defeat from the BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan in the Coimbatore South seat. Kamal Haasan’s party did not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party had supported the ruling DMK at that time, calling it the need of the hour. ​