A movie still from Madras Cafe

There's uncertainty over the release of the Tamil version of actor John Abraham's film Madras Cafe, scheduled for this Friday.Today, the Film Certification Board told the Madras High Court that it is yet to issue clearance to the Tamil version.Hearing a petition that sought a stay on the movie's release, the High Court judges said the film cannot be released without clearance by the certification body.However there's no bar on the release of the film's Hindi version.The petitioner, Stalin Baskaran, said he feared a law and order problem if the movie is released in Tamil Nadu. Pro-Tamil groups who have watched a preview of the Hindi version allege that Madras Cafe portrays the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) as a terror group. RK Selvamani, a popular film director, said "the film shows the LTTE as a terror group and there is not a single frame showing the atrocities of the Lankan army."Madras Cafe deals with relations between India and Sri Lanka in the late eighties and early nineties.

Yesterday, actor and producer John Abraham, who plays a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent in the film, said, "As of now any objection is based on speculation as no one has seen the film; yes, once they watch it they will have a certain point of view after that, and then we can have a discussion. But before watching it and to hold a gun to our head to decide what is right or wrong is not a fair situation in a democratic set up for a filmmaker."The film also stars actress Nargis Fakhri as a journalist.