On Tuesday, the shoot of Karthi ’s upcoming film, Sulthan , directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan , ran into trouble with a fundamentalist group, which protested against the crew shooting the film at Dindigul Rock Fort , alleging that it is based on the life of Tipu Sultan . The shoot, which began by around 8pm, was disrupted soon, after members of the religious outfit, Hindu Munnani Katchi, allegedly numbering about 100, descended on the set and protested against the team shooting there. G Marimuthu, district head of the outfit, told us, “Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali were responsible for the displacement of the Hindu idols at the Rock Fort and we can never allow anyone to glorify those Muslim kings without knowing the history of the city.”When quizzed on how they could assume that the film would be glorifying the king, even when the production house hadn’t officially confirmed the title of the film, he quipped, “Then, why is the team shooting in Dindigul, and that too, in the premises of the monument?” He added that unless there is a clear explanation from the production house, they wouldn’t allow the team to continue their shoot in the city.In a strongly worded press release issued on Thursday, the production house, which confirmed that the film will be titled Sulthan, clarified that it was not based on Tipu Sultan, and questioned the right of the outfit to protest against the film — even before it has been made.“It is sad that the statements that they have made have led to a situation that could lead to conflict between two groups. Our film is neither a historical, nor is it based on the life of Tipu Sultan. Of late, some outfits have begun to attack films for the sake of publicity. We have a Censor Board to decide what a film can and cannot show to the people. Other than that, only a filmmaker has the right to decide what to show. The laws of our country offer such freedom and protection. So, we condemn any outfit indulging in acts that affect freedom of artists. Moreover, it is unfair to colour our historical figures and national leaders with caste and religious identities — it is an insult to their lives and history,” the statement said.SR Prabhu, producer of the project, said, “The incident happened on the last day of the schedule; we are planning our next schedule now. That said, the place is not the backdrop for the story.”