An FIR has been filed against director Mani Ratnam after a orse which was used for the shooting of Ponniyin Selvan died in a head-on collision. While shooting, a horse was involved in a head-on collision and died. Soon, PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) India filed a complaint, after which an FIR was lodged by Abdullapurmet Police against Madras Talkies (production house of Mani Ratnam) management and the owner of the horse. Following this, Animal Welfare Board has called in Mani Ratnam for an enquiry.
In a statement, PETA India Chief Advocacy Officer Khushboo Gupta said, "In the age of computer-generated imagery (CGI), production companies have no excuse for forcing exhausted horses to play at war until one of them drops dead." Reportedly, the owner of the horse let the makers of Ponniyin Selvan to use the animal despite being tired and dehydrated. Following the FIR, the Animal Welfare Board of India has called on the district collector of Hyderabad and the Telangana State Animal Welfare Board to conduct an enquiry on the horse's death. A police official on Thursday said they registered a case after a volunteer of PETA India, on August 18 filed a complaint stating that a horse died during the shooting of the movie at a private land near a film studio on August 11. Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the management of production house Madras Talkies and the owner of the horse under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act and IPC, they said. Ponniyin Selvan is one of the most awaited flicks, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Trisha, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Prakash Raj and Jayaram are part of the historical drama.