Vishwaroopam controversy robs Kamal of Padma

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New Delhi: Speculation is rife that actor Kamal Haasan’s name was on the list of Padma Bhushan contenders, but the government had to drop it at the very last moment due to the recent controversy surrounding his film Vishwa­roopam, which was banned by the Tamil Nadu government citing concerns over upsetting the sentiments of the minorities who had objected to certain scenes.
The movie had been clea­red by the Censor Board.
Sources said that the veteran actor’s name was listed up until a day before the awards were officially ann­o­unced Friday. Top Home ministry officials refused to comment, but sources suggested that the delay in announcing the awards on Friday, was due to the government’s inability to dec­ide whether or not to honour the actor after his movie Vishwaroopam was blocked from being released in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as well.
Already a Padma Shri aw­a­­rdee, the actor, who has to his credit the maximum number of national best actor awards, missed the Padma Bhushan, even as 8 out of the 24 Padma Bhus­han awardees were picked from the art field this year, including actors Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore.
Interestingly, though the Tamil Nadu government nominated Kamal Haasan for Padma Bhushan, the Centre decided to eliminate him in the final moment.