Mumbai, Oct 22 (IANS): The Producers Guild of India has lauded the censor board for allowing the makers of Tamil movie "Mersal" -- in news for comments critical of GST and Digital India -- to express themselves with freedom.

The movie has released, and the makers faced stringent opposition from the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP, which demanded removal of specific dialogues.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of the Producers Guild of India, said in a statement: "We applaud the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) for standing by the freedom of expression of the filmmakers of 'Mersal', and for permitting them to air contrarian opinions on current issues voiced by certain characters in their film."

"It is at such times, when we uphold the rights of our artistes to voice diverse opinions through their work, that we showcase the best of who we are as a country. We would now expect the relevant authorities to ensure that any coercion on the filmmakers from any quarters whatsoever to make changes to their film, is dealt with firmly, and to ensure that a film which has been duly certified is allowed to be screened without any disruption," Kapur added.

"Mersal" features Vijay.