It's curtains for film posters

CHENNAI: Candidates hoping to use film posters to gain some extra mileage will have to opt for something else to grab eyeballs. The Election Commission (EC) sent out a stern message on Monday that if posters on public and private walls are not erased, it will remove them and take action against the building owners.
The commission has prohibited cinema theatre owners from pasting posters in both public and private buildings across the state.Only exception would be private buildings in rural areas, said chief electoral officer Praveen Kumar. "If anyone violates the rule, then the commission will take action against the owners of theatres and the buildings. We have given instructions to district observers to follow the rules. The public should report the violators," he said. Wall posters have been prohibited during the previous assembly and parliamentary elections too. This is the first time that the EC is strictly enforcing the rules as it is perceived that film posters might cast an undue influence on the voters.
The EC, however, will not ban shows of films featuring actor-politicians, said Kumar. This is because the screenings were held in private enclosures and would not attract the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1959. "The commission has booked 40,000 cases of disfigurement of public places so far," he said. On Saturday, the DMK had opposed the screening of Vijayakanth film, Virudhagiri', saying it was a violation as he not only headed the DMDK but was also a candidate from the Rishivandhiyam constituency.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Film Producers' Association president Rama Narayanan appealed to the EC to lift restrictions on posters as "cinema was a business". A ban on posters would affect the livelihood of those in the film industry, he added.