India’s previously unstoppable ruling party loses momentum

IF SUCCESS is the sweetest revenge then the makers of “Mersal”, a Tamil-language action-romance, must be feeling smug. Supporters of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vented fury when the film was released in mid-October. Some shouted that it should be banned, unless a scene mocking government policy was cut. Others sniffed that the film’s lack of patriotic spirit might reflect the fact that its star, Thalapathy Vijay, is Christian. But for “Mersal” all this ugly talk was just good publicity: it has already grossed over $32m, close to a record for Tamil cinema.